Comic Book Review: Red Tornado #2

Like Rokk, I have always liked Red Tornado. There is just something about this creation of T. O. Morrow’s that I like. Over the years, he has turned against the evil ways of his creator and tried to become more human. Van Hook, Luis, and Mayer put together a good first issue. Let’s see if the second issue keeps the streak going.

Creative Team
Writer: Kevin VanHook
Pencils: Jose Luis
Inks: J.P. Mayer

Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: At the end of last issue, Red Tornado rescued his sister-Red Torpedo. He picks her up and flies her out of the water near Pearl Harbor. She asks if he heard her beacon. The military mistakes them as being part of a terrorist attack. Red Torpedo asks him to drop her. He thinks she wants to hide. The water restores her power because she is a water elemental. She flies back up out of the water.

At Belle Reve Mental Hospital…an android earth elemental has enclosed T.O. Morrow and himself. Workers are trying to break in but have had no luck. The android called Red Volcano has been torturing Morrow. Morrow claims to have told him what he wants to know. Red Volcano is getting upset because the beacon that has been sounding in his head has stopped.

Red Torpedo starts to destroy the planes. Red Tornado stops her attack. He convinces her to stop and follow him. They fly off.

Tornado says the fighter pilots were just doing their jobs. Torpedo replies that she might have disabled the planes or she might have trapped them in water cocoons and watched them drown. Now, they will never know. Tornado wants to know why he never heard of her before today.

Torpedo explains that she was T. O. Morrow’s first creation. She was created as an enforcer. He needed money for his research. When she rebelled, he shut her down. He left her body in the place that Tornado found her. She says that another one heard her call but he has no heart.

They go to talk to Morrow. As they try to free him from a distance, Volcano gets upset. He escapes. When they get to Morrow, he wants to know what took them so long.

At Traya (Red Tornado’s daughter) Sutton’s school, a boy is being picked on at the pool. When the boys hold him underwater, things heat up. The boy bursts into flames and turns into a flaming android. He flies off. He is met in the air by Red Volcano. Volcano says “hello, little brother”.

Commentary
The Good: Red Tornado #2 was another solid issue in what is shaping up to be a fine miniseries.  Van Hook continues to build on Red Tornado’s family this issue. The addition of the young boy who is an android surprised me. I liked the way Van Hook described the impact of his change on the surrounding area. Little things like the temperature of the water when he catches on fire.

Red Torpedo looks like a character that could go either way. Van Hook uses her dialogue and actions to keep you thinking. The reader is not sure if she is good or bad.

Red Volcano is the best drawn character. The combination of size and special effects are perfect. You can feel the angry flowing out of him.

Luis and Mayer do a great job with the larger than life characters. They also excel at special effects during the fight scenes. They have gone from a team I am not familiar with to a team to look for.

The Bad: Luis and Mayer slip a little bit when they are drawing normal people. The boys at the pool tend to be posed and less natural than characters in the early part of the issue.

Overall: Another good issue. I am curious to see where Van Hook is going with this story. So far, he has my attention.

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Jim