In “Red Wing” writer Jonathan Hickman has combined Top Gun with time travel and the result has been a fun and interesting mini-series with a lot of promise. The first issue introduced us to the characters and ended with a neat little twist. In this, the second issue, Dom and Val continue their training to become pilots while Dom’s father, presumed dead, makes contact with a native tribe while stranded in the past.

On the one hand, Hickman’s story feels familiar, like something we’ve seen before. There are elements in his story taken directly from movies, books, and other stories. But on the other hand there is a freshness and an originality that I couldn’t help but be drawn to. Hickman’s inventive sci-fi world and cool futuristic technology is merely a backdrop for more personal stories of friendship and the relationship between a father and son. This issue expands upon these stories but also sets up a very interesting conflict by way of an intriguing twist on the last page.

Nick Pitarra’s individual art style really contributes to the uniqueness of Hickman’s story. His type of artwork isn’t something I would normally like but it’s strikingly fitting  and combined with Rachelle Rosenberg’s crisp but subtle colors, it adds so much to the quality of the book. The look of this issue will definitely not appeal to everyone but I found it to be a nice compliment to the story.

There’s not much bad to say about issue #2. The story progresses, albeit slowly and I’m certainly still invested. The artwork is different but far from distracting. I do question how Hickman will be able to wrap up everything with only two issues remaining but so far so good.