Review - Scam #2

There's certainly no honor amongst thieves. Especially when the thieves are conmen with superpowers who are always watching their back for a double-cross. As in Scam #2 from Comix Tribe.

The second issue is written and illustrated by Joe Mulvey, with colors by Chris Sotomayor and letters by Deron Bennett.

Oh Tru, someone's gotten the best of you. Tru is the king of cons so to speak and, naturally, thought he had a good one going on Marcus. Turns out that Marcus knows a thing or two about running a con as well, only he runs them with slightly less decorum. Marcus relies on violence to get his way, whereas Tru relies on cunning.

The direction of the series seems to be set with the second issue, as Marcus wants Tru to find someone named Crosswords. Crosswords (as the issue shows) has made quite a name for himself throughout Las Vegas and is a man who shouldn't be trifled with. Tru is keen on doing some trifling though, seeking out help from one of the Four Corners in the Roccozzi family.

The greatest strength of Scam so far is the depth of the characters. Tru, the main character, is a fairly standard, everything goes his way con man type. The other characters though are more complex and interesting. For instance, Yeti is a beast of a man who runs one of the other four corners and is shown with a punching bag in a basement and a man strapped to it.

Doc is incredibly intelligent and resilient, withstanding as best he can the torture he's being put through. Even Gabrick’s bumbling crew pursuing Tru has their own dynamic. This is very much a character driven comic and how Mulvey weaves all of their paths together has been a blast to read so far.

Mulvey's art is equally as strong as the writing. Just as there are so many different personalities, the characters themselves are illustrated appropriately to convey those personalities. Las Vegas is a strange place with stranger people and Mulvey really hammers that point home with the character models. There are also some really interesting panel choices, such as one showing someone through a newly formed drill hole in a shoulder.

Scam hasn't disappointed yet and it likely won't. It's only a five-issue miniseries, but the pacing has been perfect so far, not moving too fast or too slow. Tru is a very likable leading character, further buoyed by his supporting cast. Definitely check out Scam #2 when it hits stores.

Scam #2 is available for preorder now.

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