Review: Dead Rabbit #2

We have all heard that classic Ethics 101 debate about if it is morally right for someone to steal food for their starving family. Where people debate when or if there are times that it is valid to go against the rule of law for the well-being of yourself or the people you care about. Now Gerry Duggan and John McCrea“s Dead Rabbit series does not relive this classic debate, but the general framework of the narrative is coming from a similar place as it showcases how sometimes you may need to do bad in order to do good.

Martin Dubbs is a type of character that is very familiar with doing bad. During the 90“s he was a notorious thief that went by the alternative persona Dead Rabbit. No one never knew who he really was nor what happened to him. Simply one day he disappeared and was not seen again. Most thought he went to live the high life with all the money he stole but in reality, Dubbs chose to go straight to live a normal life with his true love. All was going well until the health bills of his ailing wife started to pile up, and now in order to help the one person he cares about he has to do the very thing he swore to give up.

Considering how important the issue of health care is in today“s world it makes perfect sense to make it a major factor in this story. It immediately adds a layer of reliability in a story about a man who quacks wise while robbing banks wearing a cartoonish mask. Even if his actions are wrong you can at least sympathize with his plight. A man becomes entrapped by the very system he was trying to follow, although his natural reaction to return to a life a crime makes one wonder how forced his hand really is at this point.

On a basic concept level, this is not breaking brand new ground. The story of the old veteran getting back into the game for one more job is as tested as you can get with the crime genre. Issue number two follows that trend well by moving to the next logical step of getting the old gang back together. What will make or break this series is how it takes familiar formula and adjust to create something new. We get some slight hints here of how it will do just in the biggest moment in this issue as a getaway does not go nearly as planned. If it can continue building effective moments like that it can avoid the genre restrains other series get trapped in.

At first glance, the character of Dead Rabbit or Martin Dubbs may appear like Gerry Duggan retooling the work he did with Deadpool. He is an antihero who has a strong sense of humor. Where it differs is how more softened Dubbs is as a character. He feels more akin to a character from a Shane Black film than he does Deadpool. His levity is used as an obvious mask rather being the driving force of his personality, and you see a much different persona when the mask is on.Â Joe Sabino’s letters help empathize this as the first words Rabbit says stylized with a font unlike any other piece of dialog–a small clue into what Dubbs will undergo to become this legendary figure of chaos.Â

John McCrea“s art fits this story well. His experience is well documented, and he is capable of constructing a style that showcases violence in an effective way, while still leaving room for the comedic moments to feel tonally appropriate. Duggan gives his opportunity to do his thing including one of the more impactful moments in this issue as Dubbs lets out some massive frustration inside of his car. There are no words just extreme body expressions that unleash this pent-up frustration. Mike Spencer’s colors have a muted approach to give the series its sense of realism. The continuous use of shadows keepÂ the mood tense, and the layering of color give Dead Rabbit’s mask a unique sense of definition. This all makes for an art style that favors sublte substance over flashy style.Â

Final Thoughts:

So far Dead Rabbit has been a well-executed crime drama that knows what it is and how to slight subvert the expectations it was leaning towards. At its heart, it is a series about asking some key questions; What defines us more our actions or our motives? Can that definition actually change or are well always doomed by our past sins? How effective those questions are answers will determine how this series turns out. So far things are looking good for the series, not so good for our characters.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist:Â John McCrea
Colorist:Â Mike Spencer
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Editor: Will Dennis

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Daniel Clark

A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.