Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs got off to a great start to their new Local Man series. The tone was set with us following a washed-up hero Jack Xaver forced to return to his hometown. Throughout the first issue, we saw how the world has turned against him as Jack did something that caused him to lose everything. Not only that but by law he is unable to do anything superhero related. With that as the foundation, I was very interested to see what the long-term future of the series would be. Let’s see if Local Man #2 continues working with the groundwork set by the debut.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers & Artists: Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs
Colorists: Brad Simpson and Felipe Sobreiro
REVIEW
With the foundation of what Local Man’s world is this second issue is dedicated to focusing on the murder mystery around Hodag’s death. This focus does create questions about what is going on in this world. And as Jack Xaver finds himself forced to be in the middle of things we learn much more about how this world of superheroes operates.
For as much as his former superhero associates and Jack himself wants to just disappear in his hometown that is easier said than done. With Jack having been a well-known superhero as Crossjack you can’t simply become a normal person again. That is something we see Jack constantly reminded of as his new normal isn’t one where he can just live like a normal citizen in his hometown. He has a permanent scarlet letter that people in his hometown won’t let him forget with the way they talk to him.
This is where the backup in Local Man #2 is so important. Because in that backup, we see how big of a deal it was to everyone in his hometown that Jack became a big-time superhero by joining Third Gen. Through the way he is treated in the flashback as Crossjack you gain a greater understanding that Jack isn’t just a disgraced superhero. That would’ve already been bad but it makes it worse when so much was made of a small-town kid from a flyover state doing whatever Jack did.
What we see in the backup Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs give you even more reason to read the issue again right after your first read. Because with that context in mind, you see not only Jack but the mystery around Hodag’s murder from a different perspective. This is especially the case with one conversation that Jack has with a character closely tied to Hodag. The way she talks about how this world’s superheroes operate gives context to both the present-day and backup flashback stories.
As all this is going on Seeley and Fleec make great use of how the media factors into the story. They nail how news and entertainment pundits would talk about what has happened in Local Man thus far. This leads to where Jack finds himself as he has to decide for himself what his next steps are.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Local Man #2 leaves you further invested in finding out how this story will play out. By focusing on the big murder mystery Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs dive into this world and how Jack Xaver responds to what is going on. The backup story included in Local Man #2 adds a feeling of wanting to read the issue again immediately. It all comes together for another comic book you should have on your pull list.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10