MINOR SPOILER WARNING

I enthusiastically devoured this mere moments after being aware of its availability. But I came away from this installment feeling a little less than sated. Overall it was a fun read, but it went by too fast.

There seemed to be fewer story beats, resulting in fewer actual pages as compared to the first issue. And there was less visual detail to linger on, exacerbating the brevity of the experience. Whereas the first issue provided so much environment-enriching minutiae in the way of book spines, LP covers, movie posters, advertisements, and brand logos, in this second issue such detail was lacking. In Raveena’s sparsely furnished bedroom, we see a few stacked books and art pieces on the wall, but they were rendered indistinctly. Streets appear less densely populated than before; the costumes seem designed less meticulously and are not so diverse.

We meet a few new characters. There’s the assistant Mel, and she’s not entirely uninteresting, but let’s just say she’s no Gramps. Another new character seems like a direct substitution for the one we just lost last issue. There are a few other players introduced, but their roles or overall importance in the story are not yet clear.

Fewer world-building artifacts are offered here as well. Compared to the abundant material-culture we were introduced to in #1, this time around we get a cassette tape and corded car-phone. These just seem to be slight variations on the vinyl and payphones we were already aware of. There’s also a bracelet of unspecified function, as well as a bathroom sign that may or may not indicate that there are separate facilities for the obese; again it was portrayed too indistinctly to tell exactly. And desert tube-dwellings are apparently a thing in 2076. The system of curious societal rules that Vaughan had previously constructed is augmented here only by the indication that one’s “Nym” (presumably short for Pseudonym) can only be taken-on once a person is of age.

In summation, despite a promising first issue, the follow-up seems a little less-than. Many of the elements that made Private Eye stand-out in my reading pile have now diminished in quality and quantity. It is by no means an unenjoyable read, but it is nearly impossible not to compare it unfavorably to the brilliant introduction we were given back in March.

Story 3.5 / Art 3.5