Nomen Omen #2 // Review
Rebecca Kumar just had her heart ripped right out of her chest. She’s lying dead on the floor as a sinister figure literally walks away with her heart. It isn’t over for her, though. Not even close. This is the second issue of Nomen Omen. Writer Marco B. Bucci’s world begins to establish itself in poetic shiftings of action and drama that exist in its urban earthbound world. Artist Jocopo Camagni excavates the strange world between fantasy and reality with a vividly-realized dichotomy that makes for exceedingly appealing reading. (Dream sequences are painted by Fabio Mancini) Taken in its individual pieces, there isn’t terribly new or fresh about Nomen Omen, but taken as a whole, it is a dazzling, little bit of magic.
Rebecca is heartless. There’s a figure with a glowing pendant that is casually walking off with her heart. She’s lifeless on the floor of a restroom waiting for death. It doesn’t come, of course. The colorblind young woman splashes into the color of life beyond the moment and then wakes-up into the exact spot where she was when it all happened. She’s perfectly okay. Maybe it was all a dream. Elsewhere a few others witness a vicious street brawl between the guardian of central park and a few who wear glowing pendants. There is talk of a history between them that goes back centuries.
The second issue in a new fantasy world can get very, very tedious. There’s all that world0building that has to happen. There’s all that life that has to be put together to fuse into an adventure. Bucci’s script plays it close and fast between drama and action in a world that’s earthbound while still delivering enough dangerous magic to the page to keep it solidly grounded in the realm of urban fantasy. Yes, there IS a little bit of stiff dialogue as ancient characters deliver some backstory, but for the most part, this is a beautifully brutal and fluid second issue.
Camagni’s overall mastery of the emotional flow of an issue is impressive. Both artist and colorist, Camagni finds multiple dimensions in which to cast the moodiness of the drama. Rebecca’s colorblindness dominates many of the pages, but there are classy splashes of color that keep it all from feeling too lost in contrast between white and black. (Mancini’s painted dreams have a powerful Charles Vess kind of a thing going on that brings out a sort of fairy magic feel to Rebecca’s dreams.) The action hits with a frenzy. Delicate emotion plays out at interesting angles through strange shadows.
There’s a bit of poetic text at the end of the issue. It features Bucci talking a bit about some of what is seen on the pages. If he were to deliver it without the poetic narration, it would feel a bit like over-explanation. Bucci knows that this is a ritual for him. It’s a ritual for the artists as well. Perhaps a ritual for the readers, too, as It exists on many levels. It’ll be interesting to see where he and Camagni take them.
