Advance Review: Southside #2

How can I describe Southside? Mix together Luke Cage and Jefferson Pierce, strip them of their superpowers, add in a dash of Shaft for flavor and plunk it all down in Washington D.C. and you’ll have an idea of what to expect when you open this book. Southside is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. Violence, sex appeal, a streetwise protagonist navigating the underworld and a revenge mission; it has everything you could want if what you want is a great read that pulls zero punches.

Southside #2, written by Tony Kitrell (Cosmos, Project Homeland), features a fairly simple straight forward story that is as easy to follow as it is plausible. At it’s heart is the protagonist of the story, Malone. Wronged by criminal elements of the city he is returning to his old haunt in order to right the wrong and exact vengeance. It is a classic tale, one that has been repeated numerous times in many different formats. Most recently it has been done in movies like John Wick and it is a staple of comics from Punisher to Huntress. What is slightly different about this story is that is grounded in the streets and has a John Wick vibe though it much more a product of urban culture. At times Kitrell touches on some elements of race relations, policing and gentrification in this book. However they are mentioned as backdrops and do not dominate the story so much as provide context as he build the “real life” fictional world inhabited by Malone and the various members of the DC criminal underground.

The art, by Chepe Rios, is fantastic. The line art is incredible in its detail, perspective, framing and execution. There are a few panels that are slightly awkward in their perspective but that is trivial compared to the rest of the book. Rios is fantastic and has a professionals eye when it comes to camera angle and how/when to pull characters and action out of panels so as to make the book come alive. Come alive it does! Rios’ art is a major component of this book as each page turn felt like watching a top quality action movie. That’s the standard this book is drawn to. Not to be outdone, the color is scintillating and really completes the book. The colors are vibrant, saturated and draw you in completely. Each color choice accurately reflects the mood of the scene and, as I stated above, it felt like some strange amalgamation of various properties. Whatever the influence, the color and art work so well together that they draw you in and I was disappointed when the book ended. The bow on top of all of this is the lettering. Normally I don’t comment on lettering though I am certain to always credit the letterer in my review. However, in this case I had to mention the stellar job done by Lettersquids. The letters are art themselves in this book and greatly contribute to the mood and theme of the entire work. Bullet holes, intensity, biblical text and more…they are all part of the lettering art that demands your attention on each page. It was quite amazing and worthy of being written about.

This book is an action thrill ride that I will add to my collection when it becomes available. It is beautiful to look at, the action fantastic and the story serviceable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of action, urban thrillers, organized crime tales and stories of vigilantes.

Writing – 3.5 of 5 Stars
Art – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Color – 5 of 5 Stars
Letters – 5 of 5 Stars

Overall – 4.5 of 5 Stars

Writer – Tony Kitrell
Art – Chepe Rios
Color – PH Fuller
Letters – Lettersquids
Published by Advent Comics

Author Profile

Nemesis

Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.