After the excellent Cruel Universe #1, it’s fair to say EC Comics is back and better than ever. The second issue arrives in comic shops this week, and while it’s still nerve-wracking that this historical line is back, it’ll only take a few more stories to make it an all-time return. In issue #2, there are five tales of woe, danger, and sci-fi weirdness!
Cruel Universe #2 opens with a story by Stephanie Phillips and Riley Rossmo titled “Organ1c.” In a story set in the near future, food is no longer an issue thanks to innovations that seemingly means eating humans. Centered around the genius behind free-range food without pesticides, a documentary crew follows him through lush green fields and finally into a butcher area. Naked humans run around him and rush to snatch up an apple and seem relatively simple-minded. The story takes the old adage “you are what you eat” literally with a devilish twist at the end.
Rossmo’s art is great for this one, never fully showing nude human livestock but making them seem happy enough. The genius behind it is a nice blend of cheery smiles and intelligence, with opportune flashes of evil.
It’s cool how each cover features a different tale.
Credit: Oni Press
Next up is “Brilliant and Deceived” by Ben H. Winters and Leomacs. This is a reanimator tale with a devilish twist. Leomacs draws the story in a super pulpy old-school style that suits the plot. A doctor is attempting to bring his wife back to life, and since she’s dead, what’s the harm in trying?
“And the Profit Said…” by Chris Condon and Javier Fernandez is up next, and it’s one of the longer tales in the collection. It involves a man who has an inoperable tumor that will kill him, but new science is used to take it out and give him possible “blurry vision.” That vision ends up being a spectacular power that they use for profit. Once again, a twist brings the story full circle. Condon writes great captions to draw you into his perspective, while Fernandez uses a detailed realism that suits the technological forward story.
Closing out the anthology is “Ray Gun” by Christopher Cantwell and David Lapham. The story takes a cowboy who has lost his grit and ability to ride and given him a second chance. That chance comes by way of aliens, or so he thinks. Another great twist awaits you by the end, with a clever turn you won’t see coming. Plus, Lapham does a spectacular job with alien tech gore. I’ll say no more!
If there was a recurring theme in Cruel Universe #2, it’s the plot twist surprise. Each tale has one, delivering varying levels of weird, horrific, and interesting twists on sci-fi concepts. They’re all deliciously weird and great from beginning to end.
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