Kiss Me Satan #2 Review: Welcome Zombie Ninjas

Kiss Me Satan #2 has vampire maids, werewolves in the mafia and zombie ninjas. If you didn't catch any of that, this is a comic that isn't taken itself too seriously. I don't know why I took this series so seriously in my review of the last issue. There were a few off-the-wall moments, but I didn't realize how insane this mini-series was trying to be until the zombie ninjas showed up. I guess I should've realized it after the angel in the tuxedo... It might not take itself seriously and some characters had names I didn't even bother to learn, but there are some good moments and fantastic artwork. Barnabus Black is in charge of protecting three witch apprentices and the seer Verona. After she made an unseemly predication about head werewolf Cassian Steele's prodigy, Verona and the gang are on the run from vampire assassins and zombie ninjas. The story is simple and ridiculous. Before this, the first issue had a slightly ridiculous tone, but this issue solidified it with the zombie ninjas. There are so many different supernatural creatures being focused on and writer Victor Gischler actually does a good job keeping them straight from what I can tell so far.     The biggest problem is a lot of the characters are one-dimensional. Last issue, we just had a bland protagonist, which is still a big issue here. But now we also have Verona's three apprentices. Each witch is interchangeable with the other.  However, Mrs. Steele has earned my respect. She seemed like the passive housewife in the first issue, but here she takes a much more active role. The scenes with her are some of the most suspenseful moments this mini-series has had so far. Her situation, however, feels like it can't be taken as seriously as it should be when it's surrounded by such concepts as zombie ninjas. Verona also has a couple of good lines, but her powers are what I remember her for the most. I'm looking forward to seeing what else she can do – and why she needs Barnabus Black at all. The action scenes were very fluid. One particular fight between Barnabus and a vampire assassin was drawn very well, despite the noticeably fluctuating (but always poor) background, which is a quality that persists throughout the artwork. The art by Juan Ferreyra may be this issue's high point. He had several well-painted panels last issue, but here it feels like almost every panel has a beautiful new paint smell to it. I've really grown to love Ferreyra's style, even the quirky qualities like big eyes. Though our protagonist is still bland. The best moments are when a vampire is turning into a dusty corpse, an up-close and personal headshot and the last page is a fantastic one-page spread in a graveyard that's gone Night of the Living Dead. It's a great final note to leave on. If you're looking for a complex, multi-layered story, this is not the comic for you. But if zombie ninjas sound cool and you have a couple of extra bucks to spend on some great artwork, this could be the comic for you.