White Savior #2
Todd meets a familiar face in ancient Japan and hilarity ensues in White Savior #2, by writers Eric Nguyen and Scott Burman, artist Nguyen, colorist Iwan Joko Triyono, and letterer Micah Myers. This issue continues this book’s great plot and fills it with many laugh out loud moments.
After watching Nathan wander drunkenly, Todd goes to dinner with Yoshihiro and the village leaders. He’s flabbergasted by everyone trusting Nathan and then sees someone familiar at dinner - the waitress he chased into the alley. He chases her down again and they talk about Nathan’s past and try to figure out what’s going on. The next day, Nathan tells them his suicidal plan, and Todd points out why it’s terrible, but no one listens to him. That night, at Kenzo's castle, another American, Zebidiah Grant shows up, and the two discuss the coming battle. Todd and the waitress, whose name is Maggie, discuss the situation and come up with a plan to get rid of Nathan. Maggie drugs him, and the two get ready to talk him away but he starts to sway around as they argue and falls into a stand of bladed weapons dying.
White Savior is comedy gold on every page. Comics nowadays aren’t always worth their cover price. They read quickly and are just a chapter in a story for four to five bucks. White Savior bucks this trend. There is a lot to read in this book, but it never feels like a chore. Nguyen and Burman cram every page with characterization and plot, but most importantly, they know what kind of story they want to tell. Everything serves the plot.
The jokes are what makes this book shine. Todd is a great character, and he’s constantly telling jokes that work. Nguyen and Burman cram every page with multiple great jokes and the two get meta with the commentary on the story itself, using the characters and caption boxes to comment on the tropes of this book. There is a laugh out loud moment on every page, which is exactly what fans want from a book like this. There are two stand out jokes - one about the comic’s eventual adaptation as a mediocre Netflix show and Maggie pretending to be a time traveler who spreads the legend of white saviors throughout time. There’s also a great one where Kenzo asks Grant if he’s the evilest person in the book.
Nguyen and Triyono are brilliant on the art in this issue. This book’s humor depends on character acting, and Nguyen goes into overdrive on that. The art in this issue looks better than the first issue and that’s saying something. There are some great images in this comic - with the establishing shot of Kenzo’s castle being the best. This also works into an amazing joke. Much like the writing, this book’s art definitely helps the humor and the plot land perfectly.
White Savior #2 is better than the last issue and that’s saying something. With all the set-up out of the way, the book can concentrate on the humor and building the plot. Nguyen, Burman, Triyoko, and Myers are doing brilliant humor with this book, while also poking an outdated trope for all it’s worth.
