In a world where society has grown tired of superpowered individuals fighting and endangering innocent bystanders, politicians attempt to ban superheroes and strip them of their healthcare rights. But Dr. Rose Osler of Mass General is still on the fence, having to cater to superheroes by day and supervillains by night while her husband spearheads the anti-powers warcry. As the walls start to close in, Rose falls back onto old destructive habits. Crashing #2 from IDW Publishing, written by Matthew Klein with artwork from Morgan Beem, colors by Triona Farrell, and letters from Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is a grounded tale that progressively takes its protagonist through a downward spiral with every turn of the page.
Crashing #2 starts where the previous issue left off, leaving Rose to deal with her shadow client Gordian, who lies bleeding on her makeshift operating table. She returns home to her husband with a heavy heart, for she has broken a promise she made to both of them. But life goes on, and she finds herself treating another super-person, Piper McNally, sidekick to the world’s greatest hero Rex Glassman. Rose fights with the hospital to keep the Supers in her care since Piper’s struggles with addiction hit her closer to home, and she wants to do everything in her power to help him. Unfortunately, the villainous Gordian has discovered Rose’s dual life.
Klein walks the thin line between medical jargon and humane drama for maximum effect. Rose’s narration is as apologetic as it is defensive, giving audiences a closer look into her struggles. The subtle differences between her words and actions become bigger and bigger as the book progresses, as do the consequences of the secrets she’s keeping. The reader can feel her resolve to help Piper fight his addiction. In a way, she wants to redeem herself through Piper’s recovery. It’s easy to sympathize with her despite her hypocrisy. The superhero angle and the politics surrounding it are well crafted and fit into the narrative naturally.
Morgan Beem’s artwork is as expressive as it is meticulous, with each panel depicting a dramatic sequence. The artwork sways with the mood of its protagonist, and the facial expressions are absolutely on point. The eyes give away every deceitful emotion festering within the characters like a pictorial lie detector test. Colorist Triona Farrell keeps up with the detailed artwork and imprints her own stylistic impressions on each scene. The colors set the mood perfectly. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou lays out an excellent spread of stylized texts that sometimes cross over into the artwork to create a very moving effect.
Crashing #2 is a multilayered tale that requires the reader’s attention from start to finish, not because of any blink-or-you-miss action or crisscrossing narratives but because of the protagonist’s slow descent into madness that builds with every interaction. The issue spans one long day, which is enough to push Rose over to the edge as her guilt threatens to consume her. Just as the story is about to get stagnant, Klein pulls a cliched supervillain move out of the hat, which nevertheless adds intrigue to the entire account, keeping readers anxiously awaiting the next issue.
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