Raven #2 is written by Marv Wolfman with art by Alisson Borges. It is published by DC Comics.
WARNING THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Although I try my hardest not to spoil anything, there are certain details I'm going to talk about that may not yet be known to those of you who have not read Raven #1. There are also going to be elements in the issue itself I want to touch on, so if you really, really, want to go in blind, you may want to hold off on reading this.
Anyway.
Ok, so this issue is part 2 of “The White Carnival”, this story arc and this mini-series is supposed to conclude in 6 issues (I already don't want it to though * crying *).
We begin with Raven's soul being ripped from her body, and although it isn't a bloody scene, you can tell it's painful for her. You can tell it's unexpected and you can tell it's a violent experience for her. Especially when she teleports and is launched into the wall in her room. Everyone in the house is getting ready for work/school, the family is still picture perfect, which makes me skeptical of them to be quite honest. And then Aunt Alice just has this look...I could be reading into it too much, but I don't quite trust this God-fearing, super loving and accepting of all things, family.
At school, Taylor, who may or may not have psychic powers, we don't know yet, has gone missing and no one knows where. Meanwhile, a giant mass of glowing blue psychic energy seems to be possessing and absorbing people (to what extent, we don't know) and feeding on their negative emotion. We don't know it's purpose yet, all we know is it's strong. Very strong. And it keeps saying “Still not ready...Soon”. We also catch a glimpse at the very end of the comic of someone, or someones, to be more exact. Yet another mystery we must wait to see unfold. It seems like issue 3 is where things are going to start coming together. Which is perfect because 6 issue mini means issue 3 should be at least the halfway point.
Pros:
Marv Wolfman has been blowing me away with the way he has been writing Raven. The way she speaks to others and the way she narrates, it's all perfect to me. I love how her speech bubbles look all wavy and weird compared to everyone else's, it makes me feel like she's speaking in her Teen Titans animated series voice. It's all the Raven I know and love. Alison Borges just has such gorgeous artwork to go along with it. The way Raven's soul-form is drawn, the characters are a little more cartoony, more...teen-ish, if you will, as opposed to the style you might see characters drawn in titles like All-Star Batman or Justice League. It's all just accurate. That's the best way to put it, I think. Also, I LOVE Raven in her “soul” form. Where she's this crazy demonic..well...raven-human hybrid thing. She looks super badass.
Cons:
I felt like we were so close to an epic fight scene and then....nothing happened. The plot has thickened, Raven is doing her best to break through a psychic barrier...but she just keeps getting flicked away, like an annoying fly. Which yeah, I get it, super-powerful psychic energy blob, but I was hoping for a little more action from Raven. We were getting to see this new form, we got more glimpses of her using her powers, but when it came time to fight, I felt a little let down. She takes quite the beating, though, which is pretty intense. So it's just the lack of her really doing much fighting that was my complaint.
Overall Score: 9 / 10
We're still going strong with this plot. It doesn't feel cliché or like something we've read over and over. It's still proving to be unique for us readers and for Raven. But now we have to wait another month for the next issue! Sigh the dilemmas we face as comic readers....
Happy reading!
