She had an abusive father. It’s not like she mentions it to be badass or anything. Even SHE doesn’t want a tragic backstory. She just wants to get on with her life. There’s this ring she’s got, though. Lots of people want it. She’s going to find out a little bit more about it in Victory #2. Writer David Walker continues a fun, little contemporary urban fantasy with artist/colorist Brett Weldele. The second issue feels just a bit more gracelessly crude than the first one,  but it’s got serious dramatic weight to it that rests just beyond the edge of some really fun comedy. 

Victory’s cab has been chewed up by a monster truck that was being driven by a couple of demons who wanted her ring. So she’s already in a pretty bad mood when the angel and the demon who helped her deal with the problem ask her to come down to Purgatory for questioning. She’s surly. She’s upset. She seems to think that she’s clever when she’s just being...rude. This isn’t her best moment, though. She’s been through a lot, and it’s totally understandable that she’d be a little bit of a jerk to a couple of divine beings who don’t seem to respect the fact that she would prefer to be left alone.

Just over half of the issue is an interrogation in Purgatory. That’s kind of a strange decision, narratively speaking. Oddly enough...it works. The dialogue isn’t always great, but the angel, the devil, and the title mortal seem like really interesting people that you don’t mind hanging out with in an interrogation room. Really. Walker clearly knows what he’s doing. There’s probably a perfectly good reason why just over half of the second issue of the series is an interrogation. It might have something to do with the fact that the story in question is actually a deeply interpersonal one that only happens to involve the supernatural and the fate of the world. 

Weldele manages a pretty deft sense of subtlety and nuance for drama throughout the issue, which is really, really important given the fact that the entire issue is drama peppered with weird little comic moments. The absurdity of the situation is gently handled with a great deal of atmosphere. Weldele’s colors add a radiant sense of depth and dramatic resonance to the page that serves the story very well. This is a deep, deep reflective issue. Most artists would want to amp that up with an exaggerated physical angle. Weldele allows the drama to flow naturally...which is pretty weird considering it involves an angel and a demon in Purgatory. 

Walker treads a very fine line between comedy and horror, and it’s a lot of fun to watch him do it. Only a couple of issues in, Victory seems like a profoundly complex person. It’s already been a long and very personal emotional journey with Victory, and the adventure hasn’t even really gotten started yet. 

Grade: A