Advance Review: Spencer and Locke Vol 2 #1

Following the conclusion of their last series, comic-dom’s second best human and stuffed cat, (the first will always be Calvin and Hobbes, sorry), are back in action, if action is actually being stuck on the sidelines with an internal affairs beef to deal with.

Detective Locke is not having a great time; under the hammer and suspended he also has to deal with a Spencer who isn’t great at cooling his heels.Â Throw in a councilman and his philanthropist, who in exchange for Locke’s help, will wipe out the charges against him.Â Decisions are made and stress levels increase as we are joined by the now familiar Calvin and Hobbes stylings.Â Though this time, a greater threat exists in the shape of Beetle Bailey homage, Roach Riley.

David Pepose remains embedded in the mash up between his character and the comic strips of old.Â With the inclusion of Beetle Bailey there are now a cacophony of voices in this book, which Pepose does well to give equal time too.Â With the extra characters, developments between the leading pair will take a back seat for the time being.Â As such, this will elongate the subplots.Â There is a level of maturity with Locke’s decisions though which could be “table setting” before things go nuts down the line.Â The inclusion of an actual big bad is nice break from the emotional state of Locke; it’s a shame than that for many, the references of Beetle Bailey / Roach Riley may fall a little flat in a wider non-USA market.

The art is again provided by Jorge Santiago Jr. who in actuality has to pull triple duty, with three different styles to contend with.Â Taking his own style first, Santiago Jr. continues to deliver an angular frame style in a lot of places that might seem a little odd bearing in mind that Spencer and Locke don’t see a lot of action in this issue.Â Things do get better with the faces of the cast, hinting at cartoon type vibes.Â The action that is on show falls to Roach Riley and Santiage Jr. does well with this aspect.Â Santiago Jr. continues to mine Calvin and Hobbes effectively; I assume that the same can be said for Beetle Bailey, by all means once you have read this book and if you haveÂ knowledge of the Beetle Bailey please let me know if this is the case.Â Colors are provided Jason Smith who effectively maintains the status quo from the preceding series.Â Colin Bell supplies the letters, working well with different fonts to help add to the storytelling elements.

The first issue of this second volume works well as a continuation of Locke’s life, displaying the challenges that he faces in the shape of a genuinely dangerous big bad whilst dealing with his own deteriorating mental state epitomised by Spencer’s mood, though the humour of the inclusion of a second strip will only work best if you have some knowledge on the original strip.

Spencer & Locke Volume 2 #1 is due for release on April 24th, and for more interview with series writer David Pepose and artist Jorge Santiago Jr. please click here

Writing – 4.5 Stars
Art – 4.5 Stars
ColorsÂ – 5 Stars

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Written by; David Pepose
Art by; Jorge Santiago Jr.
Colors by; Jason Smith
Letters by; Colin Bell
Published by; Action Labs Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network