Timala Elliott
Timala Elliott
St. Mercy #2
Image Comics
Written by John Zuur Platten
Art by Atilio Rojo
Letters by Troy Peteri
The Rundown: A local Sherriff faces a notorious gang while Mercy and her father make plans.
The story opens with an interesting narration as Alex races into town from the Oro’s barn and Mercy recovers from her injury. On the road, Neto Oro happens upon the town Sherriff and is offered assistance. Meanwhile Frank and his gang arrive at a local saloon. Soon Alex joins them and makes a stunning proposal. Later Alex seeks medical attention and a deadly altercation occurs. Then things heat up when the Sheriff arrives at the saloon and challenges the gang. Afterwards, he receives valuable information from an unusual source.
Meanwhile, Neto and the Sherriff’s men arrive at the Oro’s church. Mercy tells Neto something surprising and shares a secret. Then they are interrupted by unwelcome company. And in the past, a young girl details the night before of a sacrifice.
The Story: I really enjoyed this chapter. I am a big fan of Westerns and this episode really leans into that genre well. Here, Platten crafts an intense and brutal continuation of the present day events of the previous issue. The stakes felt very real and there were several moments where I held my breath, hypnotized by the events taking place.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the epic gun battle involving the Sheriff. And I give credit both Platten and Rojo for bringing that vision to life in the mind of this reader. In fact, the written and visual content are paired so well, that the narrative is able to move forward cohesively even in panels that lack both narration and conversation. I am really impressed by this story and I eagerly await the next chapter.
The Art: This issue features hyper detailed modern illustrations and a muted color palate to create stylized visuals with an Old West theme. This well crafted issue does an amazing job of creating emotional responsiveness to the content given. And I was just as engaged by the epic confrontation as I was during the world building scenes.
St. Mercy #2
