I loved the debut issue of Gargoyles. While I wasn’t too familiar with the animated series I knew the very basics. The issue showed readers that the comic was far more than a continuation of a “kids” animated series. There was a lot of talk of fairly weighty topics and the result was a debut that had me excited to read more. Unfortunately, Gargoyles #2 is a bit of a step back and I’m not sure if it’s the comic itself or just a nerfed digital copy.

The Gargoyles have awakened from their stone sleep — but will the make it to the birth of Maggie the Cat’s unborn mutate child? Writer Greg Weisman continues the adventure and while I generally enjoyed Gargoyles #2, it’s hard to say if my issues with it are just a bad digital review copy. Things feel out of order, like really out of order, creating a really confusing reading experience. People wake up from being gassed before actually being gassed. They call out for character after that character shows up. It has to be a digital error, but without a physical copy to compare it to, it’s hard to say. Unfortunately, I have to go with what’s provided (this wouldn’t be the first time an error like this has happened).

Overall though, the issue is still a step back from the debut. Gargoyles #2 no longer sets up the series, instead diving into some of what is danced around in that first issue, the birth of Maggie the Cat’s child. It’s a pretty straightforward story with everyone being attacked and someone being kidnapped. The why, we really don’t know, it’s really just the setup of things. But, what’s missing is that deeper, more adult, discussion from the debut that made it all so interesting. This is rather basic compared to all of that which makes it a bit of a letdown.

The art by George Kambadais is solid as the first issue. It does a great balance of the dark nature of the story but not over the top to make it scary or gloomy. The characters all look good and there’s some really solid page layouts within. There’s some really fantastic visuals in the comic that you can feel the cinematic quality to. Jeff Eckleberry‘s lettering is the exclamation to all of the excitement nailing down the emotional punches and hits.

Gargoyles #2 is a decent continuation of the debut issue but technical issues definitely hurt my enjoyment. Hopefully that’s not a problem with print copies (please someone comment to let us know!).

Story: Greg Weisman Art: George Kambadais Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 7.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.3 Recommendation: Read

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle