Advance Review: The Jokes Keep Coming In `White Savior’ #2

Make no mistake: White Savior is humor series first, then action/adventure.

The funny comes first in this series about Todd Parker, an irreverent modern-day New Yorker who is mysteriously flung back to feudal Japan. Parker soon realizes that he’s in the middle of a story that he grandfather has told him 100 times. The story involves an American who leads a Japanese village to an ignominious defeat. Not exactly a white savior…

But don’t sob for those about to be slaughtered. You’ll be too busy wiping away tears of laughter in this story written by Eric Nguyen and Scott Burman. The laughs start on the opening page as Parker is recapping the first issue for the reader. Another character asks who he’s talking to. “You heard all that?” Parker asks. “Totally thought that was my inner voice.” That summary also includes how the creators are planning to pitch the series to Netflix. It comically involves threats of not supporting minorities in leading roles.

And that’s just the first page.

The rest of the issue deals with Parker and another time traveler who are trying to save the village before the alleged savior dooms them all. The story, while good, is really nothing more than a delivery mechanism for quick one-liners and running gags. For example, during a lengthy sequence where the gaijin savior is detailing his battle plan (little more than running up a hill against a superior force) one of the soldier keeps remarking about his great physique. “Guarantee he’s one of those guys who rarely works out but still has great abs.”

Another page, beautifully drawn by Nguyen, includes an except of what is likely a real conversation between the two creators in which they explain that the page is so nice that they don’t want to muck it up with word boxes. In another, a female character complains that her narration box is a sexist pink. The next time it appears, it’s green.

Rolling with the humor is key the enjoying this series. Sticks in the mud are going to be annoyed and ultimately frustrated. Instead, sit back and see where this White Savior is going to take us.

White Savior #2 will be available for purchase next Wednesday.