It’s been quite some time since the debut of this series. Strange Academy #2 feels like no time has passed at all. It’s the first day of classes at Strange Academy. The issue hops around in a frenetic pace giving us the big picture of the school, students, and courses. We’re taken to numerous classes, introduced to the professors, and get to know the personalities of the students a bit more. We also get the first hints as to what the “big bad” will be.

Writer Skottie Young has a lot of fun with this second issue which can be picked up and enjoyed without needing to read the first. Young along with artist Humberto Ramos, deliver story pacing and a vibe that’s full of fun and energy. It’s a chaotic issue and you’ll either enjoy it or dislike it just for that. There doesn’t feel like enough time is spent in any one situation or on any one focus. But, you still feel like you get a lot of the issue as it gives us the quick tour of everything.

There are absolutely some aspects that get a bit more time on the page. Some of that is just to set up punchlines but it also helps move the characters along as well as they must deal with the situations at hand. There’s clearly some fun thought into each course and how they’re presented. That’s obvious by small jabs they make and so much is left for the reader’s imagination.

Ramos’ art is full of energy and that’s helped by the colors of Edgar Delgado and lettering of Clayton Cowles. The colors pop on the page with a bright aspect to them. Everything just looks exciting and fresh and full of energy in part due to the artistic choices. It’d be so easy to do a dour take on the same issue but as presented there’s a youthful energy about it all. There pages are full of mystical details that often tell the entire story of that particular segment. The issue relies heavily on the visual. Cowles’ lettering too is key as it often helps bring out the personality of the various characters as the lettering shifts between them.

Strange Academy #2 is a crazy paced issue where entire scenes and situations are left for a single page or a single panel gag. It’s a whirlwind tour of the school and what the kids will be dealing with. It also drops hints as to where things will be going. And it needed to be this way. An issue focusing more on any of the elements would have felt like it dragged on and given other aspects the short end of things. Instead, everyone gets their moments with a lot of humor thrown in. For as crazy as it is, it’s a great read and a welcome return of the series.

Story: Skottie Young Art: Humberto Ramos
Color: Edgar Delgado Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

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Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics