Flawed #2 // Review
The killer known as the Skinwalker is healing remarkably well. Turns out he might be immortal. This is the least of Gem’s problems in the second issue of Flawed. Writer Chuck Brown reveals a bit more about his psychotherapist/paranormal warrior hero in another issue brought to the page with well-aimed impact by artist Prenzy. With more of the background uncovered, the series begins to show a clearer picture of Gem and someone from her recent past. The crime thriller/supernatural horror hybrid continues to appeal as the distinctive features of its particular world of darkness begin to reveal themselves.
Gem is interrogating someone in her home. It’s okay...she doesn't have any clients scheduled, and there IS some question of a killer that she will have to deal with. The news is NOT good. There’s a legend that the Skinwalker comes from a line of people who had encountered the insect infestation from hell. Gem knows better. There’s a good chance it was from Egypt. Gem doesn’t know for certain, so she will contact her therapist to find out more about what she might be dealing with. There are those who want her killed. As she heads out, there is a hunter sent out to eliminate her.
Brown opens the chapter with police-based action before moving on to Gem and what she’s dealing with. The Egyptian background makes for an intriguing grounding for the world of Flawed. European mythology has been mined in contemporary comics for decades. Though comics have made several glances in the direction of Egypt in the past, it’s still a relatively fresh mythology for contemporary action. With this foundation, Brown gives Gem’s particular shade of tortured hero some originality.
Prenzy’s darkness casts action from dynamic angles. The horror is well-defined on the page. Gem comes across as an inspiring badass. Brown needed internal turmoil to keep Gem relatable as a person. Prenzy brings that emotional turmoil to the page with striking clarity. The atmosphere is pretty consistent throughout, which makes the action seem pretty uniform. This hinders the mood and tone of the series as it all seems to be happening in more or less the same place even though there are a variety of different locations, but this is a minor fault in an otherwise compelling second chapter.
The Egyptian background of the character DOES compromise the mystery of who she is a little bit. Brown and Prenzy might have run the risk of revealing too much about their hero too quickly, but there’s more than enough appeal for the time being to keep the momentum going into the third issue. As presented in the second issue, the villains that Gem is dealing with don’t seem all that interesting, which could prove to be a problem later on, but they’re still in the background of the action for now.
