Review: Jenny Zero #2
[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writers: Dave Dwonch and Brockton McKinney
Artist: Magenta King
Colors: Megan Huang
Letters: Dave Dwonch
Reviewer: Tony Farina
Summary
Jenny’s BIG secret revealed . . . and no one is more shocked than HER! With the discovery that she’s more like her father, Mega Commander Zero, than she thought, Jenny must now fight off a legion of monsters, save a city from destruction-and find enough alcohol to forget the entire ordeal!
Positives
The second issue in this series packs a HUGE punch and I simply had a blast. It was fun, but I was challenged as well. This is not a typical giant monster punching story. There are layers here. Jenny is the perfect character for this story. If she were anyone else, you know, someone without PTSD and a substance abuse problem, nothing that happens in this book would work. There is a story happening here about what it means to be raised in war and what it means to be raised while being famous. Of course, Dwonch and McKinney are not saying that they are the same thing, but they are suggesting that the results are the same. Being exposed to something beyond your control will lead to lots of problems and cause you pain especially when you are young. Pay attention to where this goes next. It is going to be special.
The art of King and the coloring of Huang are simply stunning. I LOVE the Kaiju battles that King is giving us, but I have to tip the scales to Huang, who gives us a strange and yet totally compelling color palate that makes this whole thing seem like a cartoon. Of course, it is juxtaposed with such horrific, sometimes comical, but always bloody violence. What a paradox. I love it.
Negatives
Jenny Zero #2 only has one flaw; it ended. Also, it seems that is only going to be four issues. That is sad.
Verdict
This is simply head and shoulders, pun intended, above the other current Kaiju books and I love those too. I think that we are seeing how horror and comedy can meet, but also how even when things are ridiculous, there can be a real, pull on your heartstrings story in there. It can’t be done by just anyone. The reason Jenny Zero #2 works here is because this team cares about the story they are telling, but mostly, they care about Jenny. I do too.
