Comic Book Review: Control #2

C.W. Lyons |

Jun 29, 2016

Detective Katie Burnham continues her investigation into a multiple homicide , whose perpetrator has also killed her partner, in Control #2.

[easyazon_link identifier=”B01ESAOPQC” locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Control #2[/easyazon_link] begins with Detective Burnham receiving a dressing-down by her superior officers over her handling of a criminal investigation. The investigation centers on a multiple homicide scene, which was intended to be a faked suicide. Following the trail of evidence recovered from the scene, Detective Burnham’s case has evolved into a conspiracy involving a U.S. Senator who is trying to push a controversial law through Congress.

After attending her partner’s funeral, Detective Burnham questions the senator’s wife, discovering from her the identity of a comatose man who was also discovered at the original crime scene. Receiving word that the comatose man has awoken, Detective Burnham rushes to the hospital hoping to question him about the murders, only to discover upon arrival that the man has himself been killed only minutes prior. This leads to a frantic manhunt throughout the hospital and a confrontation with the killer.

[easyazon_image align=”center” height=”500″ identifier=”B01ESAOPQC” locale=”US” src=”http://boundingintocomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/51yKgTxfBkL.jpg” tag=”bounintocomi-20″ width=”329″]

Andy Diggle, who has written for everything from Batman to Daredevil, and Angela Cruickshank, who is making her comics writing debut, are the husband and wife team behind Control. I found the writing to be exceptional. Sure, the idea of a political-crime thriller is nothing new. It’s a genre as old as politics itself. However, with dialogue that bounces between characters like the ball in a tennis match and action and suspense to boot, I felt like was watching an episode of HBO’s True Detective.

The artwork, by artist Andrea Mutti and colorist Vladimir Popov, was a little bit of a let down. While certainly adequate, there was nothing exceptional about it. I can only imagine that it must be a difficult task to try to make ordinary life pop off the page. After all Control doesn’t have any super-powered heroes in flashy uniforms – just detectives and politicians who by their nature tend to be the exact opposite of flashy – but this book is filled with black suits and drab, neutral backgrounds. It was about as exciting to look at as a series of paint swatches at Home Depot.

The Verdict

While the artwork certainly leaves something to be desired, the writing team of Diggle and Cruickshank have done an outstanding job of revitalizing the old, worn-out political-crime genre. [easyazon_link identifier=”B01ESAOPQC” locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Control #2[/easyazon_link] is a quick, suspenseful read that left me wanting more.