REVIEW: DeadWeights #2 (of 6)

Subverting the idea of what a superhero story should be Deadweights #2 brings us a look at what it really takes to create good guys, and honestly, it doesn’t look so pretty.

This issue of Deadweights is all about morality and what it takes to go from not-so-super to superhero. Right off the bat the two main characters are abducted and taken to a training facility of superheroes where they are asked to join the team to further the training of the younger supes. In between your mama jokes and serious emotional baggage, the main characters reluctantly join the program and we jump into their memories through a beautifully executed turn-page transition that leaves you marveling at how such a seamless transition was achieved; to see who these characters are, and who they were before morality and righteousness became their norm.

The overall tone of the story is one of satire sprinkled with a nice dose of reality and action. There is an underlying motif of “to get to the good stuff first there must be suffering”. Not only with the kids being trained but the actual main heroes being prone to anger issues and even one of the characters being a total bully that beat up his teacher just so he would get a C in the class and not fail it. This subversion of the usual “the supes are perfect” narrative makes for a really interesting read and it makes the characters that much more likable when you realize that even with superhuman strength they are in fact quite fallible human beings; heck one of the guys is just a really strong fat guy who barely wears pants.

Visually it is a very appealing comic with a coloring style that is reminiscent of a watercolor painting and is very refreshing to look at when most of the other superhero stories out in the market are either hyperrealistic paintings or super cel-shaded art styles. There are some places where the backgrounds could be a bit better matched to the art style of the characters but other than that the compositions are crazy good and the panel layouts although simple do a really good job of keeping the pace of the story nice to read through.

The character designs are also really good in this story, while I like the fat superhero a lot, my hat gets tipped for the old lady with the pointy shoulders. Her face tells me that she is very kind but her pointy shoulders tell me that if I mess with her I’m getting my ass whooped, and I love how that little detail tells so much about a character’s personality. Lastly, the lettering works really well with a nice dose of sound fxs and greatly spaced word balloons.

One thing that must not be overlooked is how this book is structured. Unlike other comics where you only get the main story, a mailbag, and some ads, this is structured more like a magazine with 2 short stories at the end that don’t really relate to the main story but still add a lot to the book as a product. These 2 short stories are at most 2 pages long and have a nice illustration to accompany them. They are very fun to read through and after 20+ pages of superheroes, it’s nice to have a change of pace that still keeps the same standard of quality as the rest of the book.

The addition of these stories makes me feel like this is a mix between a Marvel book and a 2000 AD book whilst still being its very own thing. One more thing that must be said about this book though is that the second short story is worthy of awards. In just a few pages you get a story that is so bone-chilling and grotesque and yet hits so close to home that you can’t help but be both disgusted and delighted all in the same page. It’s fantastic stuff and the fact that you can submit your own stories to AhoyComics and get paid $200+ (if they are picked) makes me want to try my hand at writing short stories myself.

In conclusion, Ahoy Comics is doing something very unique not only with the DeadWeights comics but just in general with the way they put together a comic book. The immense standard of quality, not only with the art in the book but right through to the short stories make this a must-read book. Even if you don’t care about superheroes, I would pick it up just for that second short story, that was some crazy crazy stuff to read through. The last time I read something that good I was reading a Jason Pargin novel.

Writing: 5 Stars
Art: 5 Stars
Colors: 5 Stars

Overall: 5 Stars

Written by: Tyrone Finch, Audrey Ryer & Mallory
Illustrated by: Sebastian Piriz, Daniel Schoeneck & Joe Orzak
Lettering by: Rob Steen
Cover art by: Sebastian Piriz
Variant Covers by: Richard Pace
Published by: Ahoy Comics

Reviewed by Antonio “Mabs”