Coming off the heels of the first issue, Leaders of the Free World is back, and this time there is a lot more action. The first issue spent most of its pages setting up the world, as well as most of the main characters.
Issue 2 begins with the introduction of Analyn Mendoza, aka Medic. Medic seems to be quite virtuous despite the hellish halo above her head. While her super powers are not clear as of yet, she seems to have experience dealing with supernatural entities. The primary example of this is her conversation with Doctor Seance.
Doctor Seance is like a combination of Marvel’s Doctor Doom and Mephisto. Seance may be an evil super-villain, but he cannot take over the world if there is no world to take over. Seance meets with Medic for this exact reason, as the Earth is in danger and he knows that he cannot save it alone. The dialogue writing for Seance is easily the strongest seen in the comic so far. He comes off as evil and demeaning, especially when he is asking Surreal and Brotha Nature for help.
As interesting as the new characters are, it was great to read more about the previously established heroes. Surreal and Brotha Nature play off each other well. We also began to see the cracks in the team dynamic. Let’s just say our heroes do not get along with each other that well upon first meeting. It is slightly hilarious that Moonshine got her name because she is always drunk.
Our favorite cyborg corgi is surprisingly frightening when in battle. Elijah Isaiah Johnson’s art truly brings out the horrific concept of an intelligent robo-dog with laser vision. Doohickey probably scares me more than Doctor Seance at this point.
The art is significantly better in this issue than the first. Characters’ faces feel more expressive. The backgrounds use a large variety of colors, matching the atmosphere of the characters. The best example of this is dark purples and reds that appear whenever Doctor Seance appears. That coupled with the billowing smoke rising below him helps to form his villainous image.
Overall the comic is entertaining and introduces many elements that will likely be further explored later in its run. The character dynamics are more fleshed out and it feels like the writer has a clear direction for the story. I am interested to see where Corey Lakel Pruitt takes The Leaders of the Free World next, especially if it involves more Doctor Seance.
Rating: 8/10
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The Candid Clark 