Satellite Sam #2 Review
Matt Fraction is on to something great. I have never read a comic book quite like this. Just two issues in and we are tangled in a plot as thick as the Louisiana swamp in August.
Michael White, the son of the late Satellite Sam star, Carlyle White, is in mourning. Dealing with his father’s mysterious and somewhat erotic death, Michael is becoming a drunk. All the while , he is trying to figure out what exactly his father was into and why he was killed. The sexual and erotic life of his father has come to light and seems to be driving him insane. We can clearly see that in this issue. Michael is going to figure things out, and the way things seem to be going, it might just drive him mad.
The other major focus of this issue deals with Joe Ginsberg. Owner of the TV studio LeMonde Television, Joe scrambles to keep things together and not go out of business. After all, the most popular show on the station just lost its lead star. Fraction finds clever ways to weave humor into this otherwise serious book. I particularly liked the “Beg pardon” lines that Joe delivers throughout the dialogue when he was being coyly made fun of.
Again the dialogue and tone of the book is nothing short of amazing. The story is so well crafted, I feel like I am watching a television show on AMC or HBO. I wouldn’t be surprised if this comic was made into a movie. And we are still only two issues in.
And finally we get to the art. Howard Chaykin continues to knock it out of the park with his retro 50’s look. If I had any complaint, it would be with the lettering in the book not being succinct enough when it comes to showing who is actually talking. Still, it is not too bad and it does fit in with the art.
This book is bound for greatness and I am excited to see where things are headed. Oh yeah, that part where Michael was….uh…in the bathroom…. I’ll keep it clean.
Score: 9.5