Review – Snow Blind #2 (of 4) (BOOM! Studios)

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Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Ollie Masters
Artist: Tyler Jenkins
Release Date: 13th January, 2016

After an impressively strong opening issue which grabbed the reader by the lapels and dragged them kicking and screaming into the world of teenage loner Teddy – a young man on the verge of discovering that his family is actually in witness protection and that his parents have been lying to him for his entire life – creators Ollie Masters and Tyler Jenkins capitalise on their early momentum with another absolutely blinding issue (no pun intended) here.

With just four issues to tell their story, Masters doesn’t let up on the gas for a second as Teddy’s quest for answers continues, undeterred by his car crash at the end of the last chapter. There’s a sense of sadness to Teddy’s story as the strange disconnected feeling he always had towards his parents – his father in particular – finally appears to be justified, and we can’t help but feel for him as his relentless attempts to discover the truth put him in harm’s way yet again.

Masters does a fine job once again with the noir thriller aspect of the series, with Teddy’s inner monologue spurring the story forwards, and the pace – while unrelentingly brisk throughout – never leaving the reader feeling lost or left behind. He also throws out a major curveball at the end of this issue, flipping Teddy’s world on its head yet again, and leaving the reader every bit as confused as our protagonist about just what the truth really is.

As with the first issue, Tyler Jenkins’ gorgeously scratchy watercoloured artwork pushes the book to a whole new level, sacrificing detail in favour of expression and emotion, particularly during Teddy’s forced showdown with his parents. His style is definitely a case of the sum of the parts being greater than the parts themselves, as he helps the story flow smoothly throughout, even with the sparse, almost sketch-like approach. The flow is also helped immeasurably by the slick, unobtrusive lettering of Colin Bell, who does a great job of differentiating between Teddy’s inner thoughts and the external dialogue, keeping things clear and easy to follow.

I love a good mystery, and that’s exactly what Snow Blind is – a fast-paced, utterly engaging tale that asks a lot of important questions about the fragile nature of trust, and is sure to keep the reader guessing until the very last page. Razor-sharp dialogue and wonderfully rendered artwork gives this noir thriller the extra edge if needs to really get under your skin, and the cliffhanger at the end of this issue is going to make the next four weeks a long, painful wait. Highest of recommendations for this one.

Rating: 5/5.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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