Red Squirrel: Centurion Cometh

I have to begin by giving thanks and praise to Red Squirrel creator (as well as writer, artist, and pretty well everything else) Gordon Shipperbottom for getting this issue out to me. He went above and beyond in a couple of different ways and it is sincerely appreciated.

Now as to the book itself...

One thing that jumps out at me:  Aside from a reminder on the first page that Red Squirrel is in something called The Astral Chamber exploring the memories of those around him, the reader is not spoon fed anything. There aren't a bunch of caption boxes all over the pages to explain every single aspect of the book. You basically are arriving in the middle of every scene and you need to work a bit to catch up. There's a story being told and you're a spectator.

I recall feeling that the first issue ended rather suddenly. Well, this one starts much the same way. Where are we at? A press conference is being reluctantly held by a frazzled gentleman named Paniodic. Paniodic runs the Hydro Glass Dome City Complex, a project which has come under question by outsiders big (government) and small (activists) due to questionable happenings around it. People go inside and seemingly refuse to come out.

At one point, this seemed entirely irrelevant to what I'd read in the first issue, but its connection is revealed further in. Again, you're not told the entire plan, you just know that someone has one that will be revealed in due time.

I should point out one specific improvement from issue #1; that issue had a few spelling errors, most of which were of the you're/your variety. I understand that it happens, but it's distracting. There were no such errors in this issue, or at least none that I noticed. It makes the product feel a touch more professional.

The next issue is not set for release until 2015 only and is sub-titled "The Death of Commando Red". I...have no idea what that means or who that is. Issue #3 will focus on that, while revealing a little more of the big picture, no doubt.

Here's some sample art from the current issue. Clicking on it will take you to the PoorMan Comics website.