Growing up watching CHIPS on TV, I remember thinking that those cops were cool, just because they were on motorbikes. Just like any American boy, even today, motorbikes, seems like an extension of our masculinity, and for some who do ride them, they are. I also remember growing up in New York, I used to see biker gangs in my neighborhood, such as Latin Soul Brothers and the Flying Dragons, and all of a sudden I saw that these motorcycles were more than that. Of course, the world now knows the crazy implications of the Sons of Anarchy, and the world will never be the same.
Sons of Anarchy shows us a world where men and women are more than what is on the surface, as they more than just a biker gang, but a kingdom whose royal court was filled with a king, a queen, the true heir to the throne and an artillery of knights. It was Macbeth and Henry the VIII, but with a touch of Easy Rider and Sopranos, and truly much more than the amalgam of those elements, as it was a paradigm shift of epic proportions. The Planet of the Apes, movie series and TV show, were a paradigm shift in the science fiction realm, as it questioned evolution, racism and treatment of animals all in a dystopian setting. In The Humans, Tom Neely and Keenan Marshall Keller, are definitely fans of Sons of Anarchy and Planet of the Apes, but understand the need to tell a different story, one with nostalgia and genre defying attitudes, which makes this book, one of the best books from Image.
The series has tackled Vietnam, hippies, humans as animals, and just about everything I love about the 60s and exploitation movies, as their characters, stories and settings are so good it almost feels like a dirty movie. In this second volume, they fight off rival gangs; tackle PTSD and a plot to take out the head of the Humans, Bobby Moore. Johnny ends up becoming the new leader, while an old girlfriend, tries to convince him the gang life is not for him any longer, while they take out the Skabbs gang and find out who wants them gone. By the end of volume 2, they find betrayal from one of their members, but what seems to be a rather sad end to the lives of some of the favorites.
Overall, a great volume to a series that gets better with every issue. The story by Keller, grabs the readers and never let’s go until the bloody end. Neely, is a godsend, as his illustrations, are like giclee film prints, and are a joy to watch. Altogether, a beautiful and fun book that is truly changing the game by remembering that comic books should also be fun.
Story: Keenan Marshall Keller Art: Tom Neely
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: BUY NOW
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
