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‘Spy Seal #2:’ Comic Book Review

In issue one of Spy Seal, Malcom, a seal in full anthropomorphic mode, very much like a character straight out of a Hitchcock film, stumbled into being a secret agent for the British Government. Hello, Cary Grant! In this second issue, we find him in the midst of his first mission, and it’s both an absurd hoot and a genuine blast. Having given Malcolm the code name “001,” Rich Tommaso’s (writer, artist, colorist, letterer) reverent homages extend beyond Hitchcock into the land of James Bond. Thankfully, it never becomes full-on parody, but really does thrust Malcolm into an adventure that is still a little over his head, despite his military background. Malcolm isn’t smooth and suave, and he isn’t clever; he still has a long way to go, and that makes the journey for the reader that much more palpable.

Taking on pretty much every aspect of this creation, Tomasso massages each element into clearly defining this world and the tone of the book. It’s completely ridiculous while never losing the emotional thread of the story. The art is relatively simple and cartoony, but the emotions in the characters’ eyes are real. Word bubbles above characters’ heads express emotions through emoticons while lives hang in the balance. Malcolm finds his next mission in the most bizarre of places. I chuckled out loud on multiple occasions at the silliness and then a couple pages later would be drawn into the visual splendor of a Vertigo-like dreamscape.

I still wish Tomasso would break up his big chunks of exposition with some back-and-forth dialogue, but that has only turned into a minor complaint with this second issue. My love of this book has grown. I can’t help but want to stay on board for this animal-centric, Get Smart-style, genre-loving adventure. Every time Malcolm is attracted to a female character that is a bird, I can’t help but laugh and love where the story is taking me.

Phillip Kelly, Fanbase Press Contributor

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