Top Ten: Beyond The Farthest Precinct #2 (of 5) - Wildstorm (2005)

The first issue of this miniseries got off to a good start but #2 isn't keeping up the pace.

First off, the jokes are even broader and more on-the-nose than the ones from issue #1. Gene Ha and Alan Moore filled the pages of the original series with little comics-related sight gags and funny references. For example, during a scene involving a traffic accident, a vehicle zips by containing a bunch of Mr. Fantastic types who are all stretching their necks out of the windows. Get it? Rubberneckers!! Paul Di Filippo, on the other hand, gives us a company called "Rexcorp" led by a Scooby-Doo lookalike named "Rex Ruthor"

Sigh.

The humor's not all that bad, by any means, but added to the heavy-handed commentary on post 9/11 security measures it makes for a much harder read than the original.

The story Di Filippo has cooked up so far is good on its own. We don't need to be hit over the head with things from the real world. In fact, there's a mention of an event "in New York four years ago". I hope that's not a direct 9/11 reference because that's exactly the kind of thing that will knock me right out of a story. Neopolis is not the kind of place that could possibly exist in the same world as our New York. We'll see what happens but this issue has failed to realize the potential promised by the first one.

Jerry Ordway's art continues to be excellent.

The merits still outweigh the flaws. Really, something egregious will have to happen to make me not buy the next three issues. I had fun reading it, just not as much fun as I thought I would.