Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Chrononauts #2
Image Comics
Millar & Murphy
Chrononauts turns in an issue that is gorgeous to look at but doesn't provide much of a story. The entire comic book is a romp throughout history that showcases Murphy's art but doesn't provide a satisfying read. Ultimately this is setting up for something in future issues, and might read fine in the collected edition, but makes for a very dull self-contained comic. This is great for the artwork but provides nothing much in terms of plot developments that couldn't be covered in half the space. Tread lightly with your expectations.
The previous issue left off with one of the time travelers jumping back in time, but landing in the middle of a battle. It turns out that the battle wasn't all that bad because the man he's trying to retrieve is the king of this time period and was the commander on the winning side. Quinn was believed to be stranded in the past, but part of his plan all along was to live in the past and live in different time periods as a king. He brings back modern technology to help conquer the past. Reilly finds his friend and is immediately led into temptation. Who wouldn't want to live like a king? Of multiple eras? It certainly is an offer to think over.
The comic spends a lot of time walking the reader through all the time periods that Quinn rules. This is done as Quinn builds his argument to Reilly to live with him on this dream journey. The book brings out a tiny plot development at the end of the comic book to advance the story slightly.
The time traveling aspect of the story is very hard to swallow. The constant jumping forward and backward and bringing tanks and cars with him all get glossed over in terms of details or how it impacts the future. Time travel stories always require a bit of hand-waving, but this requires you to turn off your brain entirely. I'm still not clear how Quinn was untraceable.
Murphy crushes this on art. Given the chance to romp through history and flex his imagination he takes full advantage. If you do nothing other than thumb through the book you will get some visuals you've probably never seen before. His story is light on the inks but the details don't suffer one bit. The color tones are darker and that works with the thinner inking well. Overall, this is a spectacular comic book.
Chrononauts #2 is a strange book. The comic is basically twenty pages of showing off Murphy's art throughout history. The story idea is that one characters is trying to convince the other to live like he does, as the ruler of various time periods scattered throughout history. It's an okay read but there isn't much story wise. You won't find a nicer looking book though. I recommend giving this a look.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
