I’ve said it before but I think it bears repeating: issue two is always the point where a comic book begins coming together. I always know whether I want to keep reading or not at this point and the good news is, this story is still delivering.

Issue one left me with a lot of questions and we pick up now where it ends, in a showdown with Vengeance. We do get some explanations this time around. Vengeance explains her presence in the book immediately but one of the main things that bothered me before was the perceived drop of the Poor Fellow character. Luckily, this time around Dan Watters also begins to tie this element in. I have felt since Azrael’s first story in Urban Legends #8-10, that Watters was building up to something. I can now say with some confidence that that thing is most likely the conflict of this miniseries. It looks as if Azrael will be facing off with the Knights Templar!

 I’m very happy about this for multiple reasons. First of all, I love Medieval history so, obviously, I’m going to be interested in a development based in that field. That’s just me, of course. Other readers won’t necessarily have that same inclination. Where this development becomes a positive in a more objective sense, is in the way Watters has set it in relation to Azrael. This threat is portrayed as something personal for Jean-Paul. Brielle Arnier is essentially afflicted by the same System he is and he wishes to help her. The Knights Templar want her for themselves, giving Jean a very clear motive. While the stakes at hand are very personal to Jean-Paul, they are simultaneously very physical, given Brielle’s abilities (along with the Poor Fellow and the Knights Templar) which should result in a story that is a great balance between the internal and external.

My biggest takeaway this month was the energy of the series, something that the Nikola Cizmesija's art helps provides in a major way. I do think there are some occasions where more background detail could be provided. This page, for example, becomes a bit harder to interpret without any backgrounds to orient the characters against.

By and large, the art maintains a high level of readability. The linework is very clean and precise even when in the midst of complicated action. With every element so clearly defined, characters and backgrounds will sometimes begin to separate into disparate pieces. Not so here. The almost stained glass appearance of the colors is a big part of that. They give everything a very unified atmosphere. The clearly defined colors also tie well to the equally defined lines giving the whole visual a consistent appearance.

Recommended if…

• You love kinetic action
• Azrael’s expanding world interests you
• You’ve been reading since Urban Legends. This issue pays it off!

Overall

I really don’t have too much else to say this time around. This is an action heavy issue that also manages to pull previous stories together and lead the way forward. I’m expecting next issue to feature much more plot progression now that we have an established direction. In the meantime, I still highly recommend this comic!

Score: 8.5/10

P.S. I'm still waiting for Cizmesija to start drawing feet!

Disclaimer: DC Comics provided a copy of this issue for the purpose of this review.