REVIEW: ‘Armorclads,’ Issue #2

Armorclads #2 is written by J.J. O’Connor and Brian Buccellato, penciled by Manuel Garcia, inked by Raul Fernandez, colored by Rex Lokus, and lettered by Dave Sharpe. It’s published by Valiant Entertainment. After the end of the first issue, the Ironclads are interrogated by the Alphan Armorclads about the death of one of their own. When Ironclad Peris is taken away by the Armorclads and the base is attacked by the mercenaries known as the Legionnaires, the Ironclads decide to start a revolution.

The double-edged sword of comics being a serial medium is that a story can be built over several issues, but some creators have taken this as a license to pad out their stories beyond belief. This comic is an example of that overly leisurely pace: the revelation about last issue’s events takes up nearly half of the issue, and the other half of the issue is dedicated to the Legionnaires’ attack. I understand O’Connor and Buccellato are attempting to build out their world, but this is a five-issue miniseries; as a result, there’s a limited amount of story the creators can tell. And so far the story hasn’t made much progress.

While the story itself may be sluggish, the art is still eye-grabbing. Garcia has the chance to design some new Armorclads, including a model that looks like a humanized version of the ED-209 from Robocop that comes complete with a glowing red visor and twin cannons. The Legionnaires themselves are clad in dark fatigues, with various pieces of armor stuck onto their bodies. Some wear helmets, while other wear hoods. Paired with Fernandez’s heavy inks, the issue has genuine weight and texture, especially when it comes to the Armorclads. An action sequence features one of the Ironclads named Lela hijacking an Armorclad and using it to mow down Legionnaires, while the other Ironclads use their built-in construction equipment to restrain the other Legionnaires.

Rounding out the artistic team are Lokus and Sharpe. Lokus shades the entire issue in earthy tones; the Armorclads are sporting gunmetal gray armor, while the Legionnaires wear dark green fatigues and grey armor. Even the planet Xeru feels more dry and desolate than Tatooine, with its grey landscape and dusty blue skies. The only bright colors come from the Ironclads and their bright yellow armor. Characters’ word balloons also change when they’re in and out of their armor thanks to Sharpe. When they speak normally, their word balloons are normal; when in armor, the tails of their word balloons take on a jagged, lightning-esque shape as if they’re speaking through a radio. And when the Ironclads shout their declarations of attack, their words grow as big and yellow as the suits they’re wearing.

Armorclads #2 continues to slowly build up its story, with its world-building and art attempting to make up for a sluggish pace. The next issue looks to finally launch the revolution that’s been teased in the series synopsis, and hopefully, the speed of the story will pick up a little with it.

Armorclads #2 is available wherever comics are sold.