Posted in: Comics | Tagged: drama, dug nation, hannibal tabu, historical fiction, scoundrel, wunderman comics

Scoundrel #2 Review: Irresponsible Racing Habits and Cinco de Mayo

Hector Hernandez participates in the Long Beach Grand Prix where a dramatic accident takes place midway through the race.

Afterwards, we get a view of how his work clashes with his developing relationship with Catalina. All the while, Big Taco prepares for their Cinco de Mayo festival food truck.

This issue of Scoundrel puts Gus more in context as a character for the reader. He's not just the patsy to Hector; he is the only one who believes Hector can be more than a self-serving hedonist.

Surprisingly enough, Hector is more than a self-serving hedonist in this issue. He genuinely tries to do more for Big Taco after some prodding from Gus. As such, we don't really get any antics from Hector in this issue, and that is a good bit of subtle storytelling on the part of Hannibal Tabu. Hector perceives work as something that must consume his entire life, and that is why he prefers his fun-loving and irresponsible ways. For him, it is a choice between two lifestyles. There is only one or the other. In this issue, he chooses work, and he doesn't get to party with Catalina as much as the previous issue. He seems more miserable as a result, and his personality is chained up by a desk. He's a man of extremes; he can't do anything halfway.

There is a surprise twist in the Cinco de Mayo section at the end that does throw a monkey wrench into Hector's life plans. While this plot point does promise some interesting developments in the next few issues. That being said, it's almost weird that we didn't know something like this already. It's one of those experiences that seems like it would truly alter a person for the rest of their lives. But, it is believable that Hector could have buried this under a pile of sex, drugs, and drink in the time since.

After the Grand Prix, the comic does get a bit slow, and it may not be as engaging if one hadn't read the previous issue for context. While someone following the series can appreciate how it contextualizes the characters, anyone just on-boarding may not find it as entertaining.

Artist Dug Nation continues to do some fantastic work in this issue, giving the world detail and life that few artists can. He brings something special to this comic, and I would love to see this guy get more work in the comics industry. The same can be said of writer Hannibal Tabu as well.

Color artist Josephine Roberts does some great work too, contributing to the atmosphere and visual tone that Dug Nation sets up. The work Roberts gives is quite exemplary as well.

Tabu, Nation, and Roberts put together another fantastic issue in Scoundrel #2. It succeeds in fleshing out and contextualizing the characters further and setting up some promising plot elements that should collide quite well in the issues to come. Nation and Roberts make the art quite stunning too. I definitely recommend this one, and you search it out when it's released.

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