Review – The Weatherman #2 (Image Comics)

Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Jody LeHeup
Artist: Nathan Fox
Colourist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Steve Wands
Release Date: 118th July 2018

To say I was blown away by issue one of The Weather Man would be something of an understatement, and I’m happy to report that the second issue blew me away all over again!

This latest chapter picks things up pretty much where the first issue ended. A few more people have been added to the 18 Billion plus body count, mercenaries are on the prowl, Nathan has been kidnapped at gunpoint by his girlfriend and, apparently, he’s the worst mass murderer in history.

The issue starts in a similar way to the first, focusing on the Martian community left alive as they look for answers and faces to blame. Their anger, their fear and their frustrations are all boiling over during the memorial service for the victims of the terrorist group “The Sword of God”. It’s a real testament to the strength of Jody LeHeup’s writing and Nathan Fox’s art that I was left heartbroken at what appears to be the death of a character we only saw for a couple of pages in the first issue.

Fast forward two days and we’re aboard the space station Nebula, orbiting Mars and catching up on Nathan’s predicament. Nathan is in a lot of trouble. He’s being tortured by his girlfriend (and not in a good way), and the next few pages are brutal. That’s something I don’t often say anymore, but without giving too much away, the scene with Nathan and his dog almost broke me.

From here on in we learn more about the mercenaries that attacked Nathan and Amanda and why everyone thinks Nathan is “The One”. A tale of Shadowy Covert Ops Teams, terror cells, Armageddon devices and memory augmented Identity swaps follow. Once again, despite the revelations of this issue it’s the strength of Jody LeHeup’s writing that really pulls the reader in emotionally as we watch Nathan’s wisecracking persona crumble as he learns the truth of who he is.

I honestly can’t find enough superlatives to express my enthusiasm for The Weather Man. Jody LeHeup’s writing is superb; again and again he has me laughing, horrified and heartbroken… in just two issues! Nathan Fox does an amazing job of capturing the intensity, the humour and the horror of this story. I think I’m on my sixth read-through of this issue and I keep finding little details that I hadn’t noticed before, something that, for me, is the mark of a great comic artist. Dave Stewart is, as always, perfection in colouring. I’ve been a huge fan of his since I picked up my first issue of Hellboy and he has never disappointed me since. He can do things with the simplest of palettes that I’ve never seen anyone else match.

The Weather Man continues to be in my top three titles of 2018 and based on the strength of the first two issues I think it may end up vying for the top spot before all’s said and done.

Rating: 4/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK]