REVIEW: ‘Villainous,’ Issue #2

In the previous issue of Villainous, Tilly joins the Coalition of Heroes, also known as COH. All Tilly has ever wanted was to join the Coalition and to fight alongside the heroes she looks up to. She gets accepted into the Sidekick Program and is paired up with the Superhero known as Showdown. After receiving her assignments, she realizes that one of her heroes is a complete jerk. To add icing on the cake, she accidentally eavesdrops on Showdown’s conversation with someone about him having to kill someone. Tilly freaks out and immediately reports to the COH’s leader Pillar. Tilly does not realize how big of a mistake this was. Pillar tries to cover-up Showdown’s mishap by blowing up the apartment Tilly was staying at and framed her as a villain. Published by Mad Cave Studios, this issue is written by Stonie Williams. Art is done by Jeferson Sadzinski, colors by Joana LaFuente, and lettering by Justin Birch.

In Villainous #2, Tilly has been apprehended by the villain group known as Shadow Order. We are introduced to the group’s leader, Sedition, and group members Winter Witch aka December and HeadHunter aka Two-Spirit. Sedition tries to tell Tilly the real deal about the Coalition of Heroes, detailing incidents that happened to the entire Shadow Order. They’re strikingly similar to how Tilly was framed. Sedition goes on about how Pillar is dangerous and needs to be taken down. Tilly is on the fence because all she’s known is turned upside down and she is among individuals the Coalition and public deem as villains.

Williams’s writing continues to impress, with his storytelling, worldbuilding, and the life he breathes into these characters. While Tilly is the main character we see through his writing that he is trying to establish the differences between the Coalition of Heroes and Shadow Order. Coupled with the work from the art team, Sadzinski, and LaFuente, you can definitely see the differences between the two teams. I am usually drawn to villains however the members of Shadow Order look extremely cool, especially December. In this issue, Tilly gets a new “hero” outfit and I love the simplicity of it. She dons a black and purple tight suit that accentuates her body and tail, which hopefully doesn’t restrict her movements. In the previous issue, we saw that Tilly is extremely lithe and agile, able to leap large distances in a single bound. Sadzinski and LaFuente showcase Tilly in action again. This time, we see that she can climb and crawl along walls and camouflage herself, but it is limited. Williams ends our adventure on another frustrating but satisfying cliffhanger. Williams definitely knows how to hook, line, and sink readers who have to painstakingly wait for the next issue.

Reading Villainous as a whole is like watching television with superb writing and suspense. It allows you to get comfortable while getting to learn about the characters and feel out the situation at hand only for its writer to pull the rug from under you. However, this isn’t a bad thing. The art team does a fantastic job in detailing its heroes and villains, giving them a distinct look with an interesting array of abilities. While I am all in for storytelling and worldbuilding, I am patiently waiting for Tilly to make her mark on the hero world and place her at the top of the list as my favorite hero.

Villainous #2 is available where comic books are sold.