Second Coming #1 Review

Story: Mark Russell

Artist: Richard Pace

Finisher (Earth Pages): Leonard Kirk

Colors (Earth Pages): Andy Troy

Letterer: Rob Steen

Published: Ahoy Comics

Wow, so, where to start? Well, Second Coming, when first announced, generated its fair share of controversy from the same groups that seem to protest pretty much everything under the sun that seems to go counter to their beliefs. This, before anyone has actually read this issue. 

So, is the issue as controversial as everyone has made it out to be? No. Not really. Maybe a little bit in Russell’s depiction of God, but his depiction of Jesus… pretty much what I remember what He is supposed to be from my time in Catholic school.

Russell begins the first-third of the issue basically recapping God’s creation of Earth and how he created Adam and Eve to cure his loneliness. From there, Russell and Pace showcase the exile of Adam and Even from the Garden of Eden, the proclamation of the Ten Commandments and its consequences, and finally, Jesus’ time on Earth. 

Once done with this recap, we are introduced to Sunstar, the superhero from another planet, in love with a star reporter, and all around good guy. He’s a pastiche of the prototypical superhero that we have all learned to love since we are kids, but one who does have some problems in life. 

To avoid spoilers, I’ll leave it at that and simply say, the pairing of Jesus and Sunstar makes sense in the context of the issue as we learn that Russell’s depiction of God is that He is somewhat aloof and simply wants what’s best for his son. And He believes that rooming with a “god-among-men” like Sunstar would do Jesus some good. The first night Sunstar and Jesus go on patrol, you learn Jesus’ philosophy on life, and once you read that, you can see that all the controversy that first popped up with the series’ announcement, is pretty much controversy for controversy’s sake. The message is a good one, and one that everyone should here. A very Mark Russell thing to do. 

And the art! Richard Pace is an artist that I have seen more on social media than in the comics, to be quite honest. And now that I have seen his work, I’ll be keeping an eye out for his other work. With the help of Troy and Kirk, he has a great style that fits the story that is being told and does a great job of showcasing who the characters are through facial expressions, body language and overall setting. His God is hilarious to look at because you wouldn’t even need to know that he is aloof and would fit the old-timey descriptor of a “scamp”. 

All in all, this issue was great and continues my love of anything that  Mark Russell writes and has made me a fan of Richard Pace’s art. Controversy be damned!