Isom #2 is not an Ill-Advised Read

I’m a fan of superheroes. I enjoy seeing the adventures of superheroes, and villains, on the big screen and on comic book pages. However, I’ve never been the biggest comics guy. Sure I have a handful of Marvel comics, mostly Venom and Carnage ones, but my exposure to superheroes has largely been through movies. Despite my lack of experience, Rippaverse Comics continue to surprise me, and after reading the new Isom #2, I figured that now would be a perfect time to talk about it.

I enjoyed Isom #1, but I enjoyed Isom #2 even more. Isom #2 continues the Ill-Advised Arc and moves it in an interesting direction. To briefly summarize Isom #1, Avery Silman, the former hero Isom, investigates a former friend, Darren Fontaino, at the behest of his sister. The situation goes south pretty quickly, and Isom #2 picks up and really escalates the action. Darren continues to antagonize Avery’s sister, but her boss is able to protect her. Meanwhile, Avery steps back into the hero role as he searches for his missing friend Sam who was abducted from Avery’s ranch. What follows is Isom teaming up with the newly introduced Sydnee Bloodruth to battle… basically demons. Isom #2 takes a crazy turn as it shifts its attention towards these otherworldly invaders while the more realistic street plot is placed on the back-burner. I actually really enjoyed this sudden shift. It kept me incredibly engrossed to the point that I read Isom #2 in one sitting. While the comic isn’t massive, it still took me a good hour, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Isom #1 and #2 both lay the foundation of the Rippaverse, and it’s quite apparent. Both comics make it a point to emphasize the characters who will be recurring in future Rippaverse comics. This is not a bad thing at all. Something that I am surprised and impressed with is that in only two issues, Eric July and his team at Rippaverse have managed to create a new world that feels full and alive. The reader is dropped right into the middle of this world with no long backstories. Characters have histories, and those histories are revealed over time. Isom #2 is marketed as explaining why Isom quit being a hero. The comic answers it in a satisfying and natural way that doesn’t detract from or slow down the current story. If these first few comics had focused on Isom’s backstory, I think that the story would be a lot slower and less compelling. By sprinkling in these little details issue to issue, the comics also keep the reader’s attention. For example, both Isom #1 and #2 raise the question of who Avery Silman is. Superheroes in this world are called “Excepts,” but Avery is different. We as readers don’t know why yet, and that’s why we keep reading. Not only do I want to see what happens next, I want to see what has already happened and why it happened.

Answering these questions is also integral to the marketing for these comics. My copy of Isom #2 prominently displays the question “Why did Isom quit?” The cover features Isom fighting an unknown villain ultimately revealed to be named Chadran. This version of the comic tells me nothing about the main story and Isom’s battle against the demonic creatures, and I love that design. The comic was able to surprise me because it first drew my attention in with “Why did Isom quit?” and a strange monster on the cover. Even after having this question answered, I don’t know who Chadran is, and that’s the point. I’m super excited and interested to see who this villain is, and I know that future Rippaverse comics will answer this question. By first introducing these questions now, Rippaverse Comics is doing a good job of getting my interest and keeping me invested. However, they are earning this investment. I gave up on keeping up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe because it stoped earning my investment. I only stayed invested due to franchise loyalty. Rippaverse is not doing that.

I believe that this success connects back to the Rippaverse Ethic that is prominently displayed at the beginning of each issue: respect the customer, maintain canon and continuity, and create a comprehensive timeline. Rippaverse Comics respects the customer. Eric July and his team have stories that they want to tell, and they’re stories born by their passion for the comic book industry. They aren’t producing soulless, hackneyed products for the sake of money and a paycheck. And it’s working. I’m continually baffled by awful movies, video games, TV shows, etc. being produced purely for money’s sake with little thought given to the actual quality of the product. As a result, I am more than happy to support Rippaverse Comics because they are producing quality comics. I also appreciate that they respect the customer’s intelligence, and, to quote their ethics, won’t hold our hands. I still have a lot of questions about this world, as I’ve detailed above, and I can’t wait to pick up more of these comics and see them answered.

Overall, I definitely see the potential that Rippaverse Comics has to grow after such a strong start, and I can’t wait to see the awesome stories that they’ll produce. I know that this is less of a review and more of a spotlight on the company, but I don’t want to spoil the comic or anything. I realize that reviewing Isom #2 is also a bit more difficult than reviewing a movie or video game because the story isn’t complete. Isom #2 is another chapter in an ever-expanding catalogue, and in that regard it succeeds. It moves Isom’s story forward and introduces plenty of new characters whose stories will continue elsewhere. If you love comics and/or superheroes, give Isom #1 and #2 a try. Now is the best time to check them out because there’s only two issues right now, so the continuity hasn’t gotten too crazy yet, and the stories they tell are of a quality that genuinely deserves supporting.