The Black Sable #2 Review

Black Sable is Back!

Black Sable #2 picks up right after the last issue. Our titular hero has enlisted the help of an old flame named Blake in order to rake in a big score of Korvarian fuel cells. All the characters introduced in the last issue continue to be present. The corporation is still upset about all the pirate raids.  Captain Blood makes a prominent appearance and takes center stage. And the cliffhanger shark villain from the end of issue #1 also gets in on the action.  

The Art is Bright and Beautiful

First of all, the art continues to be astounding. The color palette is bright and colorful and a visual treat to the eyes throughout. The actions flows smoothly from scene to scene and there are no awkward transitions. The panels are varied and hardly ever appear in a grid. Instead the art leans towards dynamic angles that lend motion to the pages which fits the action. In fact there is more action in this issue than prior and the art handles it wonderfully. All in all, my eyes were fully entertained, though Black Sable herself left me wanting.  

Black Sable Needs to be Captain

The previous issue introduced a vast cast of characters. It made sense for Black Sable to be the one that explains everything to the reader and be sort of out of the way. Sadly in this issue, Black Sable's friend Blake is practically dictating everything. Yes, Blake knows how to find the Korvarian fuel cells but Black Sable and her crew are pretty much just following him around. This conundrum plays a role in the conflict but none the less the main character is more of a follower than a leader. At the current rate the title should be The Black Blake instead. But if Black Sable suffered in this issue, the villains certainly got some time to shine.

Space Villains

So far we have three villain groups: the tyrannical Corporation, the shark group called the Mar, and Captain Blood and his crew. First of all, Captain Blood is so cool! I initially wasn't sold on the terminator with dreadlocks thing he had going on. He didn't get much exposure in the first issue but here he really shines. Captain Blood is built up to be dark and menacing and manages to live up to it. I found him imposing and pretty terrifying. I really hope to see more from him. The much teased villain, the Mar, also make an appearance. Regrettably not as big of an appearance as Captain Blood but they will clearly pose a problem for Black Sable and crew. The Corporation continues to be underwhelming. They continue to seem so far away and detached from the action. Black Sable and Captain Blood seem to be able to do whatever they want and the Corporation just gets angrier. We know the Corporation is a bad guy but currently they are no where near as threatening as the other villains. And once again we get another villain cliffhanger. I won't say more than that.

Conclusion

I'm definitely going to continue reading this series. It's only going to be 6 issues long so it's not a huge commitment by any stance. There's a lot going on in just two issues so far and my gripe from the first issue persists. Issue #1 introduced way too many characters. Now the series has no choice but to slowly develop each one as they go. I really hope Black Sable takes a stronger lead and lives up to the title of the book. I'm also dying to see her confront Captain Blood, who is my favorite villain of the bunch. If you enjoyed issue #1 then you should also enjoy this entry.