No Mercy #2
Written by Alex de Campi
Art by Carla Speed McNeil
Colors by Jenn Manley Lee
Published by Image Comics
When all the dust settles from issue #1, No Mercy #2 picks up with the survivors from the bus crash trying to work together to fend off all possible threats. First there are a few members of the party who are badly injured or even dead. The dead bodies bring the biggest threat, coyotes.
Alex de Campi is beginning to wield a survival story. On the surface it seems like a straightforward story—wait for daylight, find some help and get out. Not everything is so easy in de Campi’s world as one lone adult must wrangle the suffering and destroyed psyches of many extremely smart eighteen year-olds. Perhaps there are a few of them who have the wherewithal to survive the night and fend off the elements but who is going to show up to be the leader or the hero the group needs? Even with directions given to them, the youngsters can’t seem to get anything right and that gets everyone into trouble. The writing from de Campi is sparse but the lack of words gives more gravity to the directions missed and the fear inflicted.
The artwork continues to be stunning. Whereas the first issue’s colors were vibrant and jumped off the page, now Jenn Manley Lee’s colors are muted and convey just how dark the world is. The only light is the light of the communal fire—the only place that seems safe. The fractured panels during the coyote attack are superb and Carla Speed McNeil gets all the faces of fear correct. It is great to see McNeil show off her cat drawing skills in Tiffani’s vision that makes her happy.
No Mercy #2 takes us deeper into the fears of all the survivors. Whoever survives the night will be better for it, but how easy will night two be?