Can the torch be passed to the next generation? Creative Staff:
Story: Dean Haspiel and Mark Waid
Art: Dean Haspiel
What They Say:
The fox-hunt has begun, and Impact City’s most dangerous criminals are out for BLOOD. When Paul Patton Jr. decides to take his son, Shinji, on a trip to the Museum of the Moving Image, he’s hoping to make an effort to finally be a present father and not the superhero freak magnet known as The Fox. But when a violent bank robbery derails their plans, and Paul is unwilling to don his superhero suit and save the day, a new kind of superhero will need to step in and save the day. So why is this new hero The Fox’s WORST NIGHTMARE?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I really struggled with the first issue of The Fox because it felt completely and utterly like anything but a jumping on point. While there was the short series that Red Circle Comics published, the Dark Circle Comics series was one that started off in an awkward place with poor introductions, settings and ability to convey what was going on for the audience in my mind. But there was also some great energy about it with the artwork and layouts that left me feeling like this could be a really fun book if it found its footing, or if I could grasp it properly to be able to get into the flow of it. Thankfully, the second issue has seemingly managed to do that a bit, though part of it comes down to the fact that there’s also a lot more fun here.
Part of the appeal of the book is the generational aspect where you have the father and son aspect of what’s going on. This issue brings it to the forefront in a big way as Paul and Shinji end up in the middle of a bank robbery while going to the bank (does anyone do that these days?) and Shinji is all about trying to get his dad to suit up and do something about it. Paul, for his part, continues to want nothing to do with that part of his past and instead is adamant that he just wants to be a dad and family man and lead a normal life. But that plan is in serious flux for him because Shinji has decided that he’s going to follow in the family footsteps, as the Ghost Fox, as he reveals under his clothes that he has a full white outfit with some nice black segments that makes for a pretty simple but great suit for him. As he says to his dad later, the karate lessons for all these years definitely paid off. Not that Paul wants any of this and says so, quite forcefully.
The book plays to this angle really well as there’s a lot of back and forth between the two, but partially because the bank robber is actually just being used by Brontosaurus, which disturbingly bursts out of his body along the way and puts Shinji in a real bind, which forces Paul to get into costume himself – since he never leaves it alone for long. The book has a lot of fun little moments along the way and it really does paint Paul as a trouble magnet, as the fight with Brontosaurus goes on we also get The Insidious Elasto for a bit as well as The Mad Gadgeteer You can totally get Paul’s frustration with it all, but there’s also a good serious side to it, especially with the way that Shinji’s baptism by fire is one that doesn’t go well for awhile as he gets a clue as to what some of these villains are really like in person as opposed to stories from his dad.
In Summary:
The second installment of the series has turned me from dropping the book to being excited about what comes next. The first issue just felt like a mess of a narrative that pushed new readers away rather than drew them in. Here, it left me wanting to know a lot more and excited to find out about it. Paul’s position is understandable while Shinji’s is infectious, and it’s easy to be drawn to Shinji and the youthful exuberance of it all in comparison to Paul’s weariness with this life and world. Both have their advantages, but Paul’s atmosphere doesn’t make you want to read about him and his adventures. Hopefully the combination of the two together will bring about a better dynamic because the Ghost Fox already has me hooked and wanting to see more of his adventures. The book definitely is firing on all cylinders here, from dialogue to jokes and to the artwork and designs, making it a fun, exciting and thrilling read.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Circle Comics
Release Date: May 6th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
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