“The Protectorate 2 of 3: Inside Men” (No Spoilers)
Writer: Adam Beechen
Pencils: Tim Seeley
Inks: Ryan Winn
Colors: Carlos Badilla
Letters: Wes Abbott
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn
Editor: Scott Peterson
Cover: Philip Tan
I cannot believe how much story Beechen and Seeley pack into each issue. There is so much going on in these 22 pages I don’t know how they’re not making me feel cheated. But somehow, they’re doing it every month!
If there is one story that gets more screen time than the others, it’s Midnighter’s investigation of Zealot and her activities. During the parts of the issue that constitute Midnighter and Zealot’s story, we get a quick fight between Midnighter and someone (if you saw the preview you know who it is), we get to see Midnighter show some great emotion when he learns Zealot’s true plans, and finally we get a great cliffhanger which is going to set up an amazing fight next issue.
Plus we FINALLY get to see the new character Aeon (not a spoiler, he’s listed in the enormous group shot in Wildcats #22). We don’t get much other than him swooping in and rescuing two of characters but I’m just glad he’s finally in the story so we can all start speculating who he really is (I’m placing my bets on Max Faraday).
We also get some insight into Majestic’s predicament which I thought raised some interesting questions. It also eased my concerns about how Nemesis acted last issue.
Finally, long-time Wildcats fans will cheer as we get the return of some classic Wildcats villains (3 to be exact, hint, hint). It was so cool to see them again.
Tim Seeley continues to do an incredible job with the art. Every character here looks exactly like they should. Seeley just gets these characters visually.
We’ve got two set-ups for some good fights next issue here. Like I said, I’m eager to find out more about the character Aeon and see where this creative team will take the story after these two big fights.
8 out of 10 (On its way to greatness!)