Cold Space #2 (Boom! – Jackson / Calderon / Rock)
Previously in Cold Space: On the run from the law, Mulberry finds himself on a backwards little world where everything has western feel, and rival gangs are at the ready to take one another out. Whoever has the biggest gun on their side is sure to win, and Mulberry quickly finds a gang leader with plenty of cash to spend.
Anyone remember the Bruce Willis move Last Man Standing back in 1996? How about Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, or Sergio Leone Fist Full of Dollars? The settings may have changed, but the basic story remains the same. That very story is what is driving Cold Space. In my review of the first issue, I made the point that while this book is good, it didn’t seem like anything new. It took me a month to figure out why I thought that, but after I made the aforementioned film connections it hit me what I was reading.
In this outing, Jackson’s Mulberry pieces together that all the rival gangs in town have their eye on the weapons stockpile he had on his ship. The advantage that these weapons would tip the scales in either gangs advantage, and Mulberry is stuck in the middle. While not having to worry much about story development (since this story has been told a few times already) Jackson and Calderon have managed to make cast of characters that are all criminally colorful. The cast is full of the dregs of the universe. None of these people are who you would pick as your child’s babysitter. Everyone of these low-lifes is looking to make thier power play to get to the top.
By the end of the issue, one gang member is dead at the hands of the town resident BAMF and Mulberry is riding off into bad-guy territory. The next issue we will learn if Mulberry lives or dies (my money is on the living) and we should be treated to an issue full of gratuitous violence. All of which will be rendered by capable artist Jeremy Rock.
If you’re looking for a new take on an old story, then Cold Space is for you. There are moments were the story slows down, but moments of bad ass-ness from Jackson’s Mulberry keeps readers reading.
Grade: B
