Written by Phil Hester
Art by John McCrea
Published by Image Comics, Inc.
While Mythic #1 introduced readers to a world where science is a lie and magic and myth are actually what make the universe tick, issue #2 sees a wrench thrown into the works, and the universe – or at least our part of it – thrown into chaos. Mythic #1, while being the set-up to the series and an introduction to the characters, was anything but boring; however, Mythic #2 is packed with action from beginning to end.
The book opens with a dramatic, full-page panel showing a giant, stony hand thrusting up out of the waves of Giant’s Causeway in Northern Island. The hand belongs to a giant known as Finn McCool – that is Hester’s nod at Fionn mac Cumhaill, legendary warrior from Celtic mythology – who, according to one of the Mythic field agents who is pursuing him in an MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, actually built Giant’s Causeway with his bare hands as a beachhead for battling other giants. While Field Team 3 is trying to figure out why Finn is up and about in broad daylight, they get too close and the giant swats them out of the sky. Moments later, Finn is torn asunder as a flaming, clawed hand erupts from his chest. A demonic looking creature emerges from Finn’s torn body only to be captured Ghostbusters-style within the flashlight of a creepy-looking schoolgirl who had been watching the whole episode from a nearby cliff.
The action then switches to Field Team 8, where Waterson, Cassandra, and Nate are still trying to get the sky and earth elementals to mate so the drought in Yellowstone National Park will end. Issue #1 left off with Waterson summoning his twin, Killer of Enemies, a decapitated demon who carries his head around in his left hand. In this issue, Killer of Enemies attacks the sky elemental in a wild fight that involves flying heads, lightning strikes, and a windy smack-down all of which result in a reconciliation between the two elementals and an end to the drought. Finally, the issue ends with some more weirdness involving the aforementioned schoolgirl and a possible hint as to who the real bad guys are in this series.
Hester and McCrea have done it again. From the opening panel showing McCool’s giant hand coming up out of the waves to the strange battle between Killer of Enemies and the wind, McCrea and his signature, grotesque art style make this comic come alive. Whether the characters are human, demonic, giant, or whatever, he gives them fully-realized expressions that adds an element to their personalities that words alone could not convey. And speaking of words, Hester’s script is paced perfectly throughout this issue – just as it was in issue #1. After reading and looking at the art for the fight scene between Killer of Enemies and the wind elemental, one has to wonder how the script read for those panels – they are brilliantly insane. Did Hester writer them exactly as they are, or did he give McCrea a lot of room to interpret them as he saw fit. Honestly, it doesn’t matter as the action, starting on page 15 and running to page 20, is probably the best fight sequence I’ve seen so far this year. Both art and script work together seamlessly here.
In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, Mythic #2 is an awesome read. It is really one of the best books out there right now. You simply can’t read it once and put it down – you have to read it at least twice just to pick up on the subtle nuances of McCrea’s art or the little bits of humorous dialogue that Hester seems to sneak in here and there. Mythic is shaping up to be a truly epic series. Go get it now. And get issue #1 while you’re out too.