QUICK REVIEW: 'The Gimmick' #2 by Joanne Starer, Elena Gogou, and Andy Troy

THE GIMMICK #2

Writer: Joanne Starer

Artist: Elena Gogou, Andy Troy

Letters: Rob Steen

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Release Date: April 12, 2023

Cover Price: $3.99

Continuing the hot new series that Patton Oswalt calls "back-breaking laughs and shin-cracking action, plus a lot of heart"! Shane's televised killing of his wrestling opponent upends the lives of people connected to him-including little Thomas, his super-strong toddler son. Joanne Starer and Elena Gogou deliver the smackdown!

Score:

7.5/10

'The Gimmick' occupies an interesting place in comics. It's not a superhero book in the normal sense and uses its main character's power as the impetus for a wild story. That seems to be the beauty of Ahoy Comics as a whole. It tends to buck conventional wisdom and eschew trends and rely on good writing usually in the form of satire and comedy. 'The Gimmick' has a superpowered wrestler who accidentally kills an opponent and goes on the run yet still wrestles incognito. Meanwhile, his ex wants to confront him about their super baby and the daughter of the wrestler he killed wants revenge. It's convoluted but intriguing and ultimately very charming. It reads a little like an Elmore Leonard novel so the book is full of quirky characters with a vested interest in getting Shane back from the run. Shane himself is a strange guy who seems nice but doesn't seem traumatized enough by what he had done. Anyway, the art is colorful and not overly cartoonish but it's bright and well-composed. 'The Gimmick' is an entertaining dramedy that defies conventional comic wisdom and just tells a crazy story full of peculiar characters.

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