Royals #2 // Review
Paul is having dinner with a really nice girl who seems really interesting. His brother Castor is having sex with a couple of women at the same time. This wouldn’t normally be an issue for a couple of brothers...even if they WERE twins who happen to be overseas. Paul and Castor are telepathically linked, though. It’s like an open mobile phone link directly between their two minds. Paul is trying to make a genuine connection and Castor won’t shut up about the sex. This quickly becomes the least of their problems in Royals #2. Writer Derek Kirk Kim contnues a fun crime adventure story with artist Jacob Perez.
The woman’s name is Minah. She really seems to be open to talking to Paul. Thankfully, Castor seems to be winding-down on his activity...allowing Paul a chance to be alone in his head with Minah. Something comes-up. She leaves. He gets visited by a few people looking for money. They’re big. They’re mean. They have guns. Paul is trying to get ahold of Castor, but he’s totally unresponsive. Must have passed out. Looks like Paul is going to have to evade the criminal underworld entirely on his own.
Kim’s script plays with crime fiction tradition while remaining true to the overall form of the genre. Kim has a strong sense of characterization that feels both remarkably vivid and subtle at the same time. Nothing seems to be overly exaggerated with respect to the personalities of the people in question. Paul isn't the week beta he could've come across as. Castor isn't the insensitive alpha type that he could have come across as either. The sophisticated characterization of the two central characters is matched by relatively sophisticated personalities in the extended ensemble. Mina clearly has a lot going on as well. As to villains in the series.
Perez’ art picks up on the subtleties in the characterization as well. It's all very simply rendered, however, there is a complex complexity of emotion that can be read in the faces imposters of every character. The overall look and feel of the series comes across as being casually stylish. The artist isn't trying to overwhelm the reader with the visual appeal of everything. It all stands quite firmly from the emotion at the heart of the story. Text her, elimination and depth, all arise from the page on a particularly rough night for both brothers.
The second issue shows once again that there's a lot of room for growth and potential with these two characters. The brothers are moving through something much more complicated than psychically enhanced and augmented poker. What they're going to be doing next is going to be something that further defines the way the series approaches the unique neurological situation of the twins. There's a lot of potential in that power and it's a very earthbound power that holds a lot of dramatic and emotional potential. It's something that goes it further into the human side of superpowers than most superhero comic books.
