REVIEW: 'The Me You Love in the Dark' #2 by Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, and Jean-Francois Beaulieu

Young and Corona find their stride in issue two with a hypnotic and lush new chapter. 

THE ME YOU LOVE IN THE DARK #2

Writer: Skottie Young

Artist: Jorge Corona, Jean-Francois Beaulieu

Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot

Publisher: Image Comics

Release Date: September 8, 2021

Cover Price: $3.99

Artist Ro, hiding out in an old house, hoping for artistic lightning to strike, begins to feel even more strongly connected with the shadowy presence she's been communicating with.

Writer SKOTTIE YOUNG (I HATE FAIRYLAND, Deadpool, Strange Academy) and artist JORGE CORONA (NO. 1 WITH A BULLET, Super Sons, Feathers) follow up their critically acclaimed series MIDDLEWEST with a brand-new haunting tale. Fans of STEPHEN KING and NEIL GAIMAN will enjoy this beautiful, dark, and disturbing story of discovery, love, and terror.

Score:

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

QUICK REVIEW: 'The Me You Love in the Dark' #1 set the scene and the mood for this slow burn of a series that establishes an artist named Ro moving into a haunted house to spur inspiration. The atmospheric and lusciously designed visuals of the home by Jorge Corona and colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu prove to be irresistible. The first issue was a quick read with a familiar set-up but issue two, while also intentionally paced, gives us the first conversation between her and the unseen ghostly figure that lies in the dark. It's a delicate dance between these two strangers getting to know one another and writer Skottie Young doesn't tip his hand as to where this co-existence is headed. Is this some gothic romance going on or is there darker intentions coming from the ghost? It plays out innocently enough letting Ro's guard down as well as the reader's. There's something hauntingly (no pun intended) beautiful about the pacing with the deep rich colors and shadow-infused panels, the way they're composed that gives the series a lyrical quality. 

'The Me You Love in the Dark' #2 improves on the first issue with a symphony of shadow and light, pacing and tension, the sparking of an unusual relationship that is hard to resist. Readers will fall under its spell as 'The Me You Love in the Dark' sets the stage for what could be a new modern gothic but time will tell if it's romantic or something more dubious.