The Kill Screen #2 picks up Chris’ story some time after the events in The Kill Screen #1 – I Love You. He’s acquired a small band of human survivors, but he’s become bitter and measures his life force by the number of cigarettes left in his one remaining pack. When Chris and his group stumble across two more survivors who are fleeing a type of infected known as followers, the disenfranchised man must decide whether saving people still matters or if he just wants to live another day.
Mike Garley’s story about a world intertwined with the internet continues to be simple, but the second volume develops the scenario a little further. Chris, the male survivor from Volume 1, struggles to connect with others after the events with Jill, and his conflict helps make him more than just an old-school video game character. The new characters also have reached a point where they can grow and develop rather than just play a static role. I particularly loved how the antagonists in this issue poke fun at current internet obsessions. The concept of followers being dangerous rather than exciting brought a smile to my lips, and I actively began searching for pop culture references in the remaining pages.
Josh Sherwell’s artwork remains solid, but I want to give kudos for the cigarette life force images and the follower graphic during Chris, Elle, and Max’s trek to the river bank. Both visually poked fun at iconic things found in video games or online while adding something to the story. I also appreciated Mike Stock’s work with the multi-colored lettering in some portions of the text. I immediately was able to tell which words were most important if they stood out from the standard black on white.
In my opinion, The Kill Screen #2 is moving the plot in a good direction, but I still want a little bit more. I’m not seeing a strong, overarching plot just yet, although maybe this is a tale that would work better for me in trades. If you like post-apocalyptic scenarios and want to play a game of “spot the reference,” definitely pick this up, though! It continues to be a welcome change from zombies and will make anyone who loves video games smile.
4 Deaths by Nyan-cat out of 5
