Athos and the crew follow Doc’s scent to find and rescue her, but when they run into more Klangers, will they be able to work together as a team? Find out in Man’s Best #2 from BOOM! Studios.

MAN’S BEST #2

Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote
Artist: Jesse Lonergan
Colorist: Jesse Lonergan
Letterer: Jeff Powell
Editor: Eric Harburn
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 24, 2024

Previously in Man’s Best: On board a starship looking for a world to terraform, there are three companion animals whose owner, Doc, puts them through a holographic simulation where they learn to fight robots together. Athos, a cat and the leader of the trio, takes this work seriously. Porthos, a golden retriever, works hard but does not always listen. Lovey, the French bulldog, is opinionated and wants to be the leader. But usually, their job is to make their rounds among the passengers and try to help keep them happy. Until the day they reach their target planet. The ship is pulled in and crashes. Many of the passengers are killed; the Captain and Doc are missing; and the animals realize that their training might help them save their people.

TEAMWORK IS THE HARDEST PART

Man’s Best #2 opens with Klangers chasing Athos, Porthos, and Lovey. Athos tries hard to keep the trio working together. That is how they managed to take out Klanger when they first arrived. But Porthos does not want to put up her shield; she is too busy trying to track Doc and the Captain. Then a Klanger shoots off a bunch of smaller constructs. Lovey shouts for Athos to tell them the plan. But they didn’t deal with this in the simulation and Athos needs time to think. Time is a luxury they do not have, and Lovey finds a little area for them to duck through.

Lovey’s rocket backpack is hit by a little Klanger before Porthos puts her shield back up. The shield saves them just in time as dozens of small robots crash into it. Still, Porthos is focused on tracking and she cannot track inside the shield.

They get outside and are puzzled when they see a Klanger outside that is pulling another Klanger apart. This does not make sense. Were some of the Klangers bad? Lovey makes a snide comment about how maybe the bad Klanger did not listen to its instructions. He is getting frustrated and wants to go back to the ship. Athos is supposed to be the leader, but she is too soft with Porthos. Lovey has always complained a lot, but now he sounds serious. Athos lectures Porthos about listening. Porthos explains that she was helping by sniffing for Doc and accuses Athos of talking about remembering things but not clearly giving orders.

Athos starts feeling even worse about her job as leader, but Porthos reassures her that she is doing a good job and promises to listen. Things quiet down among them as they follow Doc’s scent. Then they find an area with a big thing that looks like an eye floating in the air. All around it are Klangers that look like they are bowing. And Doc’s scent leads right into the center of this all.

Porthos decides they need to go after Doc and races without listening to Athos. The Klangers notice her and turn on them. She races back out and Athos orders her to put up her shield, but it does not work, and she gets hit. Lovey attacks the Klangers and his rocket shorts out. Porthos does not have enough room to run, which she needs to activate her shield. They are soon surrounded by Klangers.

Athos spots a tiny door and orders the others to follow her. They race through it and suddenly find themselves falling sideways. They land in a grassy area near some alien trees. Porthos is overjoyed at how well things worked out, which is her nature. But as much as Athos feels the same, she calls out Porthos for not listening and calls her a bad dog. This, she thinks, may be the only way she can get the dog to listen to her.

Even though they are in a new place, they can smell the kidnapper who took Doc and the Captain. They still have a trail to follow. And soon they come across some strange creatures.

A TRAIL INTO THE WILDERNESS

The art of Man’s Best #2 continues to bring an alien world to life in all of its weirdness. Athos and her crew follow Doc’s scent deeper into places that look more like machinery than buildings. Everything appears to be made from dark gray scrap metal and the Klanger blend into their surroundings. The structures do not seem to have any rhyme or reason, and least nothing that makes sense to us. It is a terrifying 3-D maze that the little flying Klangers can zip through with ease, and the animals just barely make it through. Outside is just as confusing. Structures give way to junk piles, and Klangers pull other Klangers apart.

After getting such a strong dose of an environment so metallic that one can almost smell it, we are suddenly transported to a completely new area. I like the disorientation we feel when the animals run through the doorway. The next panel appears sideways to us, and Athos is clearly caught off guard as she falls first up and then down, twisting as she does so. It is refreshing to see the change in environment even though the grass is oddly pink, and the trees look equally alien. The creatures we see here are a reminder that things are not always what they at first seem, and that this world is not that much like Earth.

BOTTOM LINE: DEEPER INTO THE UNKNOWN

Man’s Best #2 immerses us in a world we don’t understand. The characters are relatable, not only as pets but also as a reflection of human life and conflict. It is an engaging read.

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Man's Best #2

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Immersive

Herding dogs is no easier than herding cats.

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