As a debut, We Stand On Guard was high on premise but lacking in investment, Brian K. Vaughan and Steve Skroce crafting an immersive world populated with unique but empty characters. While their latest seeks to ameliorate any early misgivings, the focus on world building again largely trumps personal depth, making for an engaging issue that ends all too soon.
Vaughan and Skroce begin the issue with a literal bang, offering a brief but painfully effective look at Canadian life in a post-war world. Not only does it aid in solidifying the bleakness of the current landscape, as well as the presented ‘Murica-ness of the American troops, but it also serves as a cold glimpse into lead Amber’s formative years. That same coolness carries over into adult Amber’s ongoing tale, and while there are flashes of personality to be found in issue #2, she’s still relatively walled off in terms of overall investment. This is obviously a conscious choice given how little we know about her so far, but it also makes some of her own declarations tough to get behind. Her reference of the missing Two-Four members as “our guys” is met with understandable skepticism from the group, as Amber, and through her, Vaughan, has more to prove in that regard.
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Vaughan and Skroce begin the issue with a literal bang, offering a brief but painfully effective look at Canadian life in a post-war world. Not only does it aid in solidifying the bleakness of the current landscape, as well as the presented ‘Murica-ness of the American troops, but it also serves as a cold glimpse into lead Amber’s formative years. That same coolness carries over into adult Amber’s ongoing tale, and while there are flashes of personality to be found in issue #2, she’s still relatively walled off in terms of overall investment. This is obviously a conscious choice given how little we know about her so far, but it also makes some of her own declarations tough to get behind. Her reference of the missing Two-Four members as “our guys” is met with understandable skepticism from the group, as Amber, and through her, Vaughan, has more to prove in that regard.
Continue reading…
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