Issue: Salem’s Daughter #2
Release Date: October 21, 2009
Writer: Ralph Tedesco
Pencils: Andres Carranza
Covers: Vitor Ishimura, Kevin Conrad
Colors: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Bernie Lee
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
We start the second issue of Salem’s Daughter with Anna Williams behind bars. After being offered help by the mysterious Darius (which she refuses), things go from bad to worse for Anna. Even though she is given the opportunity to skip town, the town has other plans for her. This issue, in my opinion, could best be described as a setup issue. Not much forward momentum of the plot occurred, but it set up what could be some interesting interactions and actions in upcoming issues.
That said, please insert my usual whiny diatribe on unnecessarily large boobs for no apparent reason here. No, seriously. There was a father/daughter moment, that I just couldn’t quite get sentimental about because I was more concerned on how her boobs were not falling out of her way-too-low-cut-probably-period-undergarments. At least, I think they were undergarments. That aside, I do have something a little less ranty to say about character design: I feel like at this juncture the male characters are a little indistinct. I had to read through a couple of times to figure out who was who, and how much they mattered.
I do like the artwork as a whole, but I am not quite sure if the style and color palette quite fit. To best illustrate (yes, yes, pun intended) why I feel this way, I had to look back at the website to discover that the story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. Now, you may be thinking with a title like Salem’s Daughter, that would be a given right? You’d understand my confusion if you picked up this issue and leafed through it. My very first thoughts were that I had missed something and I was reading a Western. Nothing visually this whole issue clued me in that we were in Massachusetts.
Despite the artwork seeming to be inconsistent with the story being told, it is beautiful artwork. I know I got a little side tracked there, but I did want to bring it up again. I think the art and the story have very good potential, I just don’t think they quite reached that potential here in this issue. I feel pathos for Anna when I see her crying in the jail cell, but it’s quickly gone when I get very little emotion from her when she is confronted by the parents of the young man she “accidentally murdered.” She’s in the middle of an emotionally trying time and, other than crying on her dad’s shoulder, I would like to see more of her thoughts and feelings in the future.
Again, this issue is a setup issue. It’s putting the wheels in motion for the story to come and rightfully leaves you with the questions: Who is this mysterious Darius person? Is he a person? What is going to happen to Anna? However, it also leaves me with the question: Do I care about Anna? I am going to hold off ultimate judgement until I see more, because I do see the potential in this story, it just failed to deliver for me.
Rating: 2 / 5 Stars
