Tori Slate returns to Portland to find out more about the city’s mysterious protector… just in time for the storm of the century. Your Major Spoilers review of Saint John from Dark Horse Comics awaits!
SAINT JOHN #2
Writer: Brennan Wagner
Artist: Dan Schkade
Colorist: Brennan Wagner
Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Editor: Megan Walker
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: February 21, 2024
Previously in Saint John: Tori and Saint John journey through the frozen streets of Portland to help its people survive a historic city-disabling ice storm-encountering some unexpected allies along the way.
A HUNDRED WAYS TO BE IN DANGER
Having seen some success in her first online magazine piece about the mysterious hero of Portland, Oregon, Tori Slate has returned to the PNW for a follow-up. But it’s clear that this visit will be different from the moment she lands, as her plane’s landing is a rough one, thanks to high winds. By the morning, the entire city is blanketed by SIXTEEN inches of snow, something that no one is prepared for. Of course, that’s when Saint John makes his appearance, popping up just as Tori steps out the door of her hotel. He immediately welcomes her, and the two of them set out to deal with the thousands of emergencies, big and small, that come with a blizzard. Tori is amazed to watch him work, but finds that she can’t just be a passive bystander to Saint John’s acts of altruism (even though that’s how she has spent her entire life). They rescue stranded motorists, patch the wounds of those who slip and fall, and generally provide all the aid that they can, wherever they can. By the second night, even Saint John is feeling the strain, and Tori worries that no one will help him the way he helps others.
Then the power goes out.
And then, Saint John collapses, half-frozen and exhausted.
THERE’S GOTTA BE SOMETHING
As a fan of comic books and sequential storytelling for four decades, I couldn’t read this issue without comparing it to the work of Will Eisner, in his classic strip, The Spirit. Yes, I know how that sounds, and I know the level of craft and quality that Eisner’s name implies, but Saint John has the chops. When I heard that Dark Horse Comics was partnering with a clothing brand, I worried that we’d be getting some sort of nonsensical fashion show silliness, but Saint John #2 is truly impressive storytelling. Schkade’s art not only conveys a sense of Portland community (even though I’ve never been there), it carefully ratchets up the tension and exhaustion. As Saint John and Tori get more and more weary, the pages get darker, the storytelling tighter and more cramped, until the reader is as worried as Tori is. And when his constant entreaties to trust that “something” is out there to help prove to be true, the art becomes warmer and more open. Kudos are also due to Brennan Wagner’s colors, which intensify our relief at the simple comfort of a gas stove and a warm room.
BOTTOM LINE: UNIQUE AND COMPELLING
In short, whatever I thought Saint John #2 was going to be never mattered at all, as it turns out to be an expertly crafted combination of visual and verbal storytelling, with compelling characters at its center, an overarching mystery, and themes that evoke some of the best comics ever made, earning 5 out of 5 stars overall. This is real, honest “street-level” storytelling, lacking even an overt display of superhuman powers, but it makes for one of my favorite comic book stories of the year 2024. Well done, indeed.
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SAINT JOHN #2
An issue that treads where the likes of The Spirit and The Masked Man once walked, and does it with it's own flair. Excellent comics.
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Writing10
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Art10
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Coloring10
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.