It’s that time again! Another stupid face, another comic review! As I have previously admitted, I don’t read a ton of comics. But I really love RAGS and I’m super excited to be able to review the second issue (which actually comes with the Prologue and the Issue #1 included, a sweet deal!)
I’ve already raved about a lot of what I love about RAGS here. They have recently been picked up by Antarctic Press, and are beginning to gather a pretty solid online following. For good reason, too. The series handles some serious issues (PTSD, social isolation, depression, etc) all while delivering a fun, tongue-in-cheek zombie comic with AMAZING artwork! Be sure to check out their Patreon to get access to tons of great bonus content and fan art.
This is the Patreon variant cover for issue 2, done by @miss_sashi on Twitter. There is additional fan art in the back, as well.
One of the things I love best about RAGS is the use of colour to guide the reader through the story. The majority of the artwork is done in a gritty grey scale, with pops of colour highlighting important people and places. For example, the green tent above becomes a physical embodiment of Regina’s oppressive mental state. Confined to the tent, isolated from the survivors at Balmart, Regina is forced to confront memories from her past that drop some hints about how she got to be the prickly loner she appears to be. (This flashback ties directly into some intensely emotional bonus content on Patreon!)
And, of course, the artwork itself is brilliant. Luigi Teruel is a master of facial expressions and body language. The characters move so fluidly from frame to frame you almost forget their really still images. Regina Ragowski’s face is based on that of twitter personality Liz Finnegan (@TheGingerarchy) and you can tell that there is a real person behind the character. Her emotions are absolutely stunning to behold and really drive the storyline.
RAGS is full of Easter Eggs and meta jokes for those who are paying attention. I’m not going to spoil too many here (I had a pretty good giggle at black Bob Ross, though). That said, knowing that colour is important and knowing that the writers of RAGS like to drop hints for us, there are some interesting scenes in Issue 2 that really make me excited to see how the story is going to play out. Take the contrast between Regina and the mysterious zombie slayer in the background, for example (above). I have read the script for the upcoming issues, so I know who this is (and you SHOULD be excited, because it’s going to be awesome!). But I love that they’ve decided to drop future characters into the current story line, and really build up a sense of how all these players are operating around one another.
If you aren’t familiar with RAGS, I encourage you to read my review of issue #1. If it sounds like something you’d like, don’t just take my word for it! Head over to the Patreon and get in on it for yourself. If you have already dived in head first, let me know what you think in the comments! Thanks for reading 🙂