A Doughnut Hole In The Doughnut’s Hole — Reviewing ‘Neighborhood Watch’ #2

Secrets can be tricky. Shine a light on one, and invariably another will suddenly make an appearance. Soon enough, a whole mountain of secrets lie at your feet, turning a minor mystery into something far more dangerous.

That’s where things stand in Neighborhood Watch #2 as the mystery of who Jill-Cassie truly is begins to get more complicated. A tense investigation and uncovered truths are the order of the day from Sarah Gailey, Haining, Rebecca Nalty, and Jodie Troutman.

If I’ve said it fifty times, I’ve said it a hundred times; writing mysteries in a monthly format like comics is tough work. Pieces come out every thirty days. There has to be the right level of investment, intrigue, and depth to keep the reader’s attention for six or twelve or more months.

That’s one thing this series doesn’t have to worry about.

I’ve read quite a few of Gailey’s comic book projects in the years since becoming a reviewer. They always hit the spot and really have a lot to say about the world and different elements within. They give us enough every issue to really begin to bond with characters and want to know more about them and their world, pulling the right threads to weave something grander and more fulfilling along the way.

What seemed like a murder mystery has changed because Jill-Cassie isn’t dead. Her history and what that means for Bianca, Val, and the rest of their communities has become even more complicated. Oh, that ending, throwing even more of a wrench into the story we are told through the issue form Jill-Cassie’s daughter Aurora. Like I said, secrets beget more secrets until what is reality and what is fiction is a very blurry line.

What’s not blurry is how amazing the series is to behold visually.

Having this be a darkly moody story with tense moments and secrets with Haining as the artist is a masterclass move. Artwork that has tons of contrasts with but also delivers on a stories tone is my jam. There is a whimsical, light, and lush feeling to what Haining brings to the page. It’s full of grand depth and detail. Characters are truly living and breathing on the page with the right amount of rough edges with tinges of darkness sprinkled within.

Art as a whole is often full of contrasts which actually compliment one another. It’s fitting here since the whole duality mystery of Jill-Cassie is one that has tons of contrasts and complications. We, as the readers, feel safe and uneasy at the same time when glancing at these pages. Similarly, the characters felt safe in their community bubbles but now are uneasy as things shift in dramatically tense ways.

Helping with this dynamic is the color palette that Nalty is pulling out. It hits the right vibrant beats to fill that aforementioned lush depth while peppering in the darker heavier tones in all the right spaces. There is an overall heaviness to every bit of the colors that plays into the escalating mood. This isn’t like the first pages of issue one where both communities had their bright and welcoming tones. That feeling is put to the side now, as the whole question about these neighborhoods and their continued safety is up for debate.

Rounding it all out is the delicate and intricately dynamic work that Troutman pulls off with the lettering. Characters have their unique voices popping on the page as their emotions, their quirks, and more are crystal clear. Every bit of the lettering flows like fine wine and enriches everything that it touches in this complimentary package the creative team has brought us.

I love when bubbles and fonts shift a bit to really indicate a shift in volume or tone or emotional quality. Similarly, I love the choice to switch to caption style boxes in specific panels to allow the overall image to have the most real estate possible. This keeps the conversation flowing without sacrificing the impact we’re meant to feel from that particular cut shot, such as when Aurora is talking about her mother’s backstory.

It’s a simple thing when one really puts it out there, it’s happened in comics a lot, but even the simple things deserve attention. Especially when done so well.

Neighborhood Watch #2 is now available from BOOM! Studios.