SinEater 2. JoJo King (Writer), Chase Dunham (Art), Alex Giles (Letters) Insane Comics (2016)

A gloriously confident second issue that pushes the story forward with tremendously engaging force. Cassandra and Nik manage to leave the town and trying to decide where to go. The decide, more or less, and head out on their trek and find themselves in very significant trouble which may well be just an introduction to even more significant trouble to come.
The confidence of the creative team is a joy to red, the art is allowed to do the heavy lifting where required, at other points dialogue is crucial and it is presented in an way that prevents it being a simple information dump, it is smartly dynamic and informative. The action is outstanding, brutal without ever obliterating the story and used to reveal the cast as they respond to pressure.
JoJo King has solved a number of story problems with great skill, the first and foremost how to develop Cassandra into a more robust character. In the first issue she was much more acted upon that in control, in this issue she strides strongly into a more assertive role that she is going to have to have to support the story, she is becoming herself away from the walls of the town. The entity inside Cassandra introduces itself much more fully and introduces a key plot element. This is a hard process to manage, a lot of information has to be delivered to Cassandra and the reader, JoJo King uses a dream sequence to do so. This is a very standard way to solve such a problem, the way that JoJo King uses it neatly displays why it is a standard. Used as well as it is here it gives the room to deliver information without disrupting the flow on the story. Any issue should have enough self contained action to feel substantial in its own right and e able to use that action to propel the story forward, very easy to say, considerably harder to achieve. JoJo King has made it look remarkably easy and natural.
Chase Dunham's art is a pleasure to read, from static scences to frenzied action, the clarity and focus of the art is unvarying. The cast are given enough context form them to be physically grounded all the time, their body language is eloquent. A silent sequence of Cassandra and Nik travelling through the forest is a master class of managing time and compressing action to give the reader the sense of the journey without ever delaying them. The fact that the cast also reveal themselves a bit more in their responses to minor obstacles is just a measure of who well crafted a comic this is. The action sequences are fast and very violent, the details are very well judged, enough to make it have an impact, not enough to stop the story in its tracks with too much information. This is crucial for one particular encounter, it is both horrifying and restrained enough to make a point without revolting the reader.
Alex Giles letters are so easy to read that they just glide by, they never draw attention to themselves, except when they should, they give the entity inside Cassandra a extra edge and clearly mark the difference from the supernatural to the human. The sound effects are used with precision, they mark the moments with the emphasis they deserve.
SinEater 2 is a great comic, it takes the story in the general direction it should and in ways that are happily unexpected.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy very kindly sent by JoJo King. To purchase a copy of SinEater 2, which would be a great way to treat yourself to the pleasure a really smart comic go to,  http://www.insanecomics.com/the-insane-comics--store.html

SinEater 1. JoJo King (Writer), Chase Dunham (Artist), Ken Reynolds (Cover Design) Insane Comics ( May 2015)

A very engaging and enjoyable comic that packs a quiet and very considerable punch. Cassandra is a sin-eater, as the opening vividly shows both her work and the burden it imposes. A very nasty incident at the morgue where she lives leads to a sudden need to exit her village, which becomes significantly more urgent and problematical at the same time.
In a very short space, 28 pages, JoJo King manages to present four significant set ups for the story and none of them trip up over each other or feel cramped or rushed. Cassandra is introduced with a great sequence and then given a chance to introduce herself, this set up is done very naturally with a lot of information being delivered in a natural way with a great balance between showing and telling. A villain is introduced in another deeply effective set up, one of the very welcome aspects to the comic is how a cliché is cleverly used, High Priest Jacob is a villain, however he is a wonderfully dangerous villain. Using a  religious leader as the bad guy is often fatally obvious, sanctity is a great cloak for horrifying selfishness and greed, what JoJo King has done is give Jacob a very dangerous edge. Jacob is not firebrand who rouses the passions of his congregation, much more troubling he gives them permission to act savagely. He does not tell them what to do, he praises them for knowing what to do and doing it, a much subtler, toxic and durable way to hold power.
The incident at the morgue is great, it is not a surprise, it is really well done and the role of sexual violence actually has a direct relevant to the story mechanics. I still wish that JoJo King had found a different route to the same end. This incident is the third set up which leads naturally to the fourth and final set up where the threads of the story are very neatly crossed and the the reader is left happily wondering where the story will move to next.
The cast are vivid and forceful, Cassandra is vulnerable, confident, capable and confused, she is a great lead character and Jacob, who in the very short space given to him, imposes himself very firmly on the story as a heavyweight, I look forward to seeing him flex his muscles and seeing how Cassandra responds and starts to flex her own muscles in turn. The supporting cast are also strong, they demand the readers attention because they deserve it, none feel like they are just taking up space.
Chase Dunham's black and white art is a joy. It is confident and distinctive, the lines are spare and expressive, the action is quietly intense without every being aggressive. Given the content the art has a lot of room to be filled with brutal detail, Chase Dunham instead gives the cast prominence over the blood. This brings the story much more forward as the cast are allowed to drive the action rather than being lost in it. Still when action is required it is delivered, Chase Dunham has a wonderful grasp of movement that gives the moments depth and force.
Sin Eater 1 is a confident, thoughtful and engaging comic from very talented creators, a pleasure.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy very kindly sent to me by JoJo King. To buy it, and you should treat yourself, go to  https://www.facebook.com/InsaneComicsDotCom