We Have Demons #2
Lam learns more about the Glories and their mission in We Have Demons #2, by writer Scott Snyder, artist Greg Capullo, inker Jonathan Glapion, colorist Dave McCaig, and letterer Tom Napolitano. This second issue builds on the foundation of the first and shows off the creative team's strengths.
Gus and the other Glories try to teach Lam how to get her blade to glow, but she finds it difficult. She still agrees to go on their mission with them, as her father had predicted a meteor of Halo was about to fall. Gus explains his origin to the reader through a flashback, and then it's off to Norway to get to where Cash predicted the meteor would fall. They're intercepted by demons and have a fierce battle, which they barely survive, but June figures out there's a traitor among the group. Using a vile of demon blood, which reacts to other demons, she tries to find the traitor, only for it to be the last one anyone suspects.
Lore dumps are no easy thing, and Snyder does a wonderful job of it yet again in this issue. The story is told from Gus's perspective, which allows Snyder to explain how a demon came to be among the Glories. The world-building in this book is good, and Synder does even more of it in this issue, making it compelling and exciting. Creating a whole new world and doing it so effectively is an art, and it's one that he's mastered.
This story is going to play with the concept of faith a lot, and that's going to be one of the most interesting parts. Only those with faith in something can make their Halo blades light up, making them more effective, and Lam's crisis of faith is going to be a running theme. She gets her blade to light up for a moment during the fight, but the reveal of the traitor at the end of the book is going to make that even harder. As far as end of the issue reveals go, it's a doozy. It casts into doubt everything the readers know about the book, and it's the perfect way to end this comic.
Capullo, Glapion, and McCaig are firing on all cylinders on the art in this one, much like the first issue. The demon designs are right in Capullo's wheelhouse; between Spawn and his other work, this is a man who can draw monsters like few others. The action is top-notch, and the character acting is on point. Capullo and the art team just nail every single page, and it's a joy to see.
We Have Demons #2 is a perfectly constructed thrill ride. It's an exciting lore dump that builds reader appreciation for the world, is action-packed, and has genuine emotion. This book is really ending up as something special, and where it goes next is going to be great.