Written by Andrew Fontana
Mother Panic #2 continues Jodie Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards’ twisted take on the superhero genre. Multiple reviews of the first issue pointed out that Mother Panic is the most traditional book of DC’s Young Animal line, and the second issue confirms that assessment. Indeed, Mother Panic fits so well into the tapestry of Gotham that one could forget why the character and the book based around her is separate in the first place. By focusing on Violet Page’s traumatic past and her particular disdain for heroic altruism Houser creates a fun alternative to the conventional superhero narrative present in DC’s more conventional books.
Houser continues to build comparisons between Violet Page and Gotham’s other resident billionaire vigilante. These comparisons highlight the distinctiveness of Violet Page, and in this issue we get further insights into what drives her. Houser does a great job of making Page a fully realized person, and a compelling one despite her unlikability. Her violent, sometimes cruel responses to the world around her hides a dark past that Houser is slowly revealing each issue.
Edwards’ art captures the dark atmosphere of Gotham with aplomb. His Mother Panic is an unsettling creature, alien yet still at home in Gotham’s shadows. His artwork has a painted quality to it that perfectly fits the tone Houser set. Like the other artists in the Young Animal line, Edwards’ work feels more at home on an indie comic rather than a book from DC.
Rating: 8 out of 10
