Welcome to an all-new edition of Parlay points!
For this entry, we are checking out one of the most creative love stories in comic history. The story brings a female samurai and grizzled gunslinger together in an unlikely place": purgatory. It in ingenious of how the ultimate odd couple meshes worlds with chaos all around them.
Readers have been so enamored with the series that #1 has gone into a third printing. Heading into the next chapter, a puzzling guide is now navigating their path. Who knows where things lead from here.
Falling in Love on the Path to Hell #2 by Gerry Duggan, Garry Brown, Chris O'Halloran, Joe Sabino looks to unlock more secrets along the path to romance.
Let’s take a look at what all the buzz is about!
Falling in Love on the Path to Hell #2 by Gerry Duggan, Garry Brown, Chris O'Halloran, Joe Sabino (Image Comics)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
To say this is a multi-layered tale is an understatement. Duggan weaves between character building and fast action with ease. Asami and MacRaith are written as outsiders looking into this strange new landscape. Their connection is by necessity, not choice. There is a fun sequence with a scorpion that plays out well connecting the pair’s awkwardness with the readers.
Mohan creates an atmosphere of uncertainty with each interaction he’s involved with. The writing never lets the uneasy tension leave the story. This carries tight to the latest challenge at hand. The closing act swerves away from the drama into great action. Once the smoke clears, the ending page throws everything in flux again. Readers will have many questions as the wait for next issue will feel very long once this issue ends.
Brown and O’Halloran brings out the shiftiness of Mohan with his reactions to events. The sly, distant pauses create the aura of him hiding details from the pair. This gets sidetracked with a solid two page spread featuring an inhabitant confronting the trio. It showcases Asami’s calmness and Mohan’s ominous precursors of what lies ahead.
The art team brings the minions of the island into the action with a dramatic debut. The full page spread jumps off the page at readers. It carries a high pace to go loudly into the closing pages. The panels flow fiercely as a battle ranges on. In its’ wake is a shocking final image to make the buzz grow even further than a 3rd printing can cause. Great storytelling.
FINAL POINT: 8.8
With an eclectic mix of genres and themes, the unlikely love story marches forward to new levels. Duggan builds another layer of mystery with strong storytelling. Brown, O’Halloran and the team present the unstable and dangerous landscape with images that leave their mark on top of a catching premise. The hype behind this series is very warranted.
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