Tango of the Matadors‘ second issue starts readers off with the sense that time has rapidly been passing in the monster-infested world. Adelita, Ramon’s young daughter from the original series, is old enough to tackle matador training under Arturo’s watchful eyes. Meanwhile, the Volgante’s children continue terrorizing the people of Guatemala as Ramon and his companions head toward her stronghold to attack the giant fly.
After consuming a lot of media portraying more traditional gender roles, Tango of the Matadors #2 enchanted me with its mixture of fierce warrior women and beta male characters. Adelita’s desire to follow in her father’s footsteps already bucks gender norms, and many of the fighters protecting the Guatemalan villages from the Volgante hoard present as women. One even encourages a young man who isn’t suited for hand-to-hand combat to return to the bunker to employ his stronger skill set: helping people stay calm and feel safe during the attack.
The intensely dynamic cover art and riveting action sequences throughout this issue held my attention throughout the pages. Movement and color explode off the pages, and I especially enjoyed the creative use of an insect’s divided eye as the motif for the interior title page.
My only minor quibble with Tango of the Matadors #2 is the use of baby diapers to lure the flies into the village for extermination. Yes, babies can produce incredible amounts of poop, but how old is this child? Infants that are exclusively breastfed or even those still on formula don’t have nearly as nasty discharge as a slightly older infant that has begun ingesting meats, fruits, and vegetables. I’m not arguing that baby poop is fun (as the oldest child of three with a significant age difference between me and my baby sister I can attest it’s not), but I don’t know if flies would care a lot about newborn poop.
The creators inserted a plot twist in the final pages that left me staring at the panels in horror. I have to wait until the final volume to know how this plays out! Even if part of the outcome seems clear, there are so many unknowns! Will the Volgante and her hoard be defeated? Will Adelita succeed in her goal of becoming a matador? Will Miguel get home before his wife goes into labor? Is going into a volcano after a giant fly really a good idea anyway? We’ll have to wait for the final installment to find out.
4.5 Badly Named Guerilla Gangs out of 5
Creative Team: Steven Prince (Story), Fabio Alves (Art, Cover A), Alex Zief (Colors, Cover A, Limited Variant), Katrina Roets (Proofreader), Don Nguyen (Pinups), Tony Donley (Kickstarter Exclusive), Puis Calzada (Limited Variant)
Publisher: 2510 Press
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