The best part about being a nerd is reading Royals #2 in a public space (café) and unexpectedly guffawing aloud with this darkly humored tale, to which I then received (death) glares.
In any case, it was well worth enduring the social faux pas in an opportunity to review this. Written by Derek Kirk Kim and art by Jacob Perez, the new miniseries follows fraternal twins, Paul and Castor Wahng, who use their telepathic connection to pull off a major scam where they seemingly (and effortlessly) win a major poker tournament that’s broadcast on live television.
This is by far, the biggest cash cow they’ve landed – but no one is more baffled and enraged by the scruffy kids’ win than mob boss Daeshim Kang (who, IMHO is a dead ringer for the ultra dashing Daniel Dae Kim), the leader of a lethal crime syndicate called “Bloody Cock” (no pun intended – poultry literally makes a deranged cameo, which I won’t spoil for you).
Image Comics
Issue #2 of Royals sees the brothers’ foul play catch-up to them when Kang sends his henchmen after the duo as they try to dodge fists and bullets in the frenetic, electric streets of Seoul (if anything, this book solidifies my desire to visit South Korea – hopefully early 2027).
But I digress.
The key things to note here that I absolutely adored was the seamless cultural integration that Kim makes to honor his ethnic background (bonus points for the use of떡 tteok in a chase scene – it warms my food/comic review writer’s belly and heart). The witty/snappy writing, pacing, and comedic timing is also invariably done well – the beats just sync up perfectly with the art (e.g. the tense tête-à-tête that’s broken up with a crude-ish joke, paving the way for an action/fight scene).
Tonally, this reminds me of The Hangover meets Oldboy. Also, I appreciate the balance of characters and their respective development: Castor is more impulsive and Paul is far more contemplative – but through it all, it’s their brotherly love/hate bond that help them navigate this treacherous situation. The sibling fights – from the squabbling to rallying together – feels very authentic, and despite their misgivings, you still want to root for their well-being.
Meanwhile, Jacob’s art encapsulates the vivaciousness of this story. I really like how animated and expressive each character is – thanks to the bold line work and streamlined shapes of figures, places, and people he’s drawn. As a result, I feel as though I’m immersed in the gritty back alleyways of Seoul.
Perhaps my favorite scene that captures the essence of Royals is when ‘serious’ brother Paul has his pho restaurant date with Minah relentlessly interrupted by Castor vis-à-vis their telepathic abilities and his unsolicited ‘commentary’ of the evening (I should add that this was executed thoughtfully with key lettering and coloring differentiators so you don’t get confused between the dialogue versus inner thoughts). This phenomenon (which I suspect is a recurring issue between them) is distracting and debilitating for our poor Paul; but as Minah angrily departs, he has bigger problems when he’s face-to-face with Daeshim (we can feel the suspense thanks to the width and breadth of the panels. I nerdily relish the size of the individual frames to further convey intensity, emotion, and drama). We then go from heated dialogue into << boom >> a chase scene complete with pho flying through the air (RIP) and pojangmacha (general market stalls) in the background as Paul (in the foreground) makes haste to find his brother.
Overall, issue #2 of Royals is high-energy entertainment which I thoroughly enjoyed for its blend of action, crime caper, and slapstick comedy themes. What more can I say than bring on issue #3!
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