Once the star recruit of the media sensation super-team Third Gen, Jack Xavier is now a prime suspect in the murder of his archenemy The Hodag. Local Man #2 takes us on the next steps of the murder mystery and does some impressive things along the way.
Written by Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley, Local Man #2 takes the solid first issue and builds on it in multiple ways. The series is a new concept as well as tying into Image “history,” some of it real and some of it not. Jack is kicked out of his superhero group, back home in a small town. He’s been threatened with lawsuits that prevents him from being a superhero again. The first issue presented Jack as a screw-up but hinted that wasn’t the whole story. Here, Fleecs and Seeley keep that aspect to Jack but at the same time build a lot of reasons to have sympathy for him.
In the debut issue we got hints as to why Jack was kicked out of Third Gen and presented in a retro story that the heroes of Third Gen might actually be the issue. In Local Man #2 we get hints as to why Jack was kicked out and again that these heroes aren’t all that great. That helps get us more on Jack’s side. But really puts him over is the murder of The Hodag. Jack is the prime suspect which means he’s dragged in front of the police where he’s of course innocent. His treatment, is enough to get a sense this is a guy trying to good and getting shat on. And, those that around him come at him with a negative opinion just due to his previous occupation. It’s more than enough to win readers over.
There’s also a sadness to it all. Mixed with the retro story, we see a bright star who has fallen due to multiple reasons. You get to see the shine and the dull rust that has built up. There’s an aspect to the chew them up and spit them out of celebrity of it all that makes Jack more a washup influencer than anything else.
The art by Fleecs and Seeley is great. They’re joined by Brad Simpson and Felipe Sobreiro on color. The two different stories are fantastic with their mix of modern and retro styles. There’s a great sadness to it all as well in the visuals where Jack comes off as a shlub in some ways. But, there’s moments of emotion and sadness that nails it. The comic’s visuals are perfect for the stories they deliver.
Local Man #2 is another fantastic issue of a series that’s far more than one more deconstruction of superheroes. It delivers a core about celebrity, bias, and the legacy we leave. It’s a comic that entertains and has a message underneath that’s far too easy to relate to.
Story: Tony Fleecs, Tim Seeley Art: Tony Fleecs, Tim Seeley
Color: Brad Simpson, Felipe Sobreiro
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle
Source: Graphic Policy
