I mentioned that between The Schlub, Vanish and Kill Your Darlings that KLC Press may be the comic book imprint publishing some of the best titles on the stands right now. That continues with The Schlub #2 from Ryan Stegman, Kenny Porter, Tyrell Cannon, Mike Spicer and John J. Hill. Picking up from where the first issue left off, The Schlub #2 explores the aftermath of dentist Roger Dalton switching bodes with the godlike Cirrus. Their only hope for getting back to normal lies in the Soul Cradle, the device that caused the switch in the first place. But they have to keep it out of the hands of the malevolent Wyrm…and there’s the fact that neither Roger nor Cirrus are used to their new bodies.
Once again, Stegman and Porter wring some genuine comedy out of the tried but true body swapping premise. Cirrus, who was for all intents and purposes a god, has to get used to normal human things like sleep and eating (leading to a hilarious gag involving coffee). Roger, on the other hand, is free to do pretty much whatever he wants. But the same insecurities remain: he literally uses his powers to eavesdrop on his more successful brother and grows angry when people don’t immediately thank him for a rescue effort. The narrative also hints that Cirrus himself may have had friction with his own father, echoing his Earthly companion’s woes. Such a balancing act of emotion is an extremely tricky thing to pull off, especially in comedy, but the writing duo more than succeed.
Cannon continues to go absolutely wild with the artwork, particularly as more new characters are introduced. The standout is Smorgasbord, a self-proclaimed superpowered thief with the ability to switch powers. Those switches are depicted via the symbol on his chest: if he uses super strength, it’s an image of a bicep flexing. If it’s telescopic vision, it becomes a symbol of an eye (with him cupping his hands around his eyes like binoculars). It’s one of the most visually clever designs I’ve seen in a superhero comic in a while, and is the perfect way to highlight The Schlub‘s insanity – while also balancing out the bombast of the fight scenes.
Those fight scenes earn said bombast thanks to Spicer and Hill. Spicer plays with a cooler color palette this time around, breaking it up with the orangish red glow of explosions. Hill makes sure every action a character performs has a sound effect – and I do mean every one. Roger-as-Cirrus breaking the sound barrier is accompanied by a “whoosh” trailing his flight pattern; guns make a “Blam” sound; even Cirrus-as-Roger sipping coffee is accompanied by a loud “siiiiiip” sound.
The Schlub #2 once again delivers an expert blend of comedy and superhero action, with a heaping helping of dynamic art. It’s shaping up to be one of the funniest books on the stands, and hopefully it keeps up this momentum in future issues.
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