Review: The Ray #2

THE RAY #2
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray
Art by Jamal Igle, Rich Perrotta
Cover by Jamal Igle
Release Date: January 11, 2012

The Ray is, quite simply, a riot. The first issue of The Ray was a breath of fresh air, a light comic tale that cut to the chase – got the origin done with and started digging right into the action. It was funny, charming, and entertaining. And issue #2 is better.

This isn’t the most serious book you’ll find on the shelves, The Ray has yet to come across any kind of intense super-villain (his girlfriend’s father is the most intimidating character in the book so far) but nevertheless there is a good blend of action and dialogue. Palmiotti and Gray have an excellent writing style for The Ray: the entire book reads as though we are having a conversation with our hero. This has been tried before and executed very poorly, but Palmiotti and Gray have done a solid job with it so far. It actually makes the title more engaging, rather than coming across lame and ridiculous. This issue is a little light on story, but I’m not sure The Ray is a deep and dark character. He’s a living ray of light: this title should be vibrant and I applaud Palmiotti and Gray for not taking this mini-series too deep into the shadows.

And the man I believe is responsible for a huge amount of the lightness in this title is Jamal Igle. This series is my introduction to Igle’s art and it is amazing. The lines in this issue are crisp and sharp – everything The Ray should be. The pencils, inks, and colors of this title are top notch – the art is positively radiant. This issue can be respected for it’s art alone, as it is fantastic.

My final thoughts on The Ray is that at the halfway point for this title I find myself thinking it is better than at least half of the New 52 titles I have read. Hopefully the sales are strong and we get to see an ongoing title, as these first 2 issues of the series are worthy of one.

Pros: Witty banter, light-hearted script, fantastic pencils.

Cons: While the script is fun, there still isn’t a lot of conflict for The Ray. The end of the issue sets up what could hopefully be a great conflict in issue #3.

Verdict: 8.0/10

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