Written by: Mark L. Miller
Art by: Carlos Granda
Lettered by: Jim Campbell
Colors by: El Comic En Linea Foundation
Published by: Black Mask Studios
Reviewed by: Kristian Horn
I was a big fan of the first issue of Pirouette and it wasn’t because I’m friendly with its writer/creator Mark Miller. The first issue of this series really presented a unique world filled with creepy vibes brimming with horror potential. Plus, it had the added benefit of having a slam bang artist in Carlos Granda. All in all, the first issue of Pirouette was a seriously solid entry in the creepy clown/horror genre. It filled me with positive expectations of what was to come.
While I can say that the second issue is that it’s just as good as the first issue of Pirouette, unfortunately, that actually tends to be the problem I have with it. It’s just as good. Which is to say it’s still excellent but issue one of this series served very much as setup to the story and promised a bit of payoff with this second issue. While the story and character development does move forward with this entry of Pirouette, the tension doesn’t really build all that much. Neither does the horror quotient. This issue of Pirouette very much plays out like a straightforward drama and comes across as just more build up…which is what I wasn’t expecting from this second issue. With everything wonderful that the premier issue of Pirouette gave us I was expecting the gore/tension/creep factor to get boosted up some but alas, that didn’t really happen.
Now, I’m not trying to say that this comic is bad…far from it. Carlos Granda still delivers some spectacular art work and Miller give readers some really sweet moments in the book…I just expected more “horror” from this chapter of Pirouette. My slight disappointment is definitely due to my own expectations and probable impatience more than anything else. I was hoping for a bit more escalation in scariness in this comic and what I got was a touch more humanity. Which is fine. Pirouette is still an enjoyable read but I wanted a gut punch and that’s not what I got. Still…it looks like Miller and Granda are heading for that gut punch if the last page of this issue is any indication. I’m willing to bet that the next issue fulfills my expectations knowing what I know about Miller’s tastes. He’s probably slowly building up the main character in order to bring down a hammer of horror nastiness in the next several issues. I just hope that we get some of that beginning next issue because I think that I’m done with the build up at this point. I want the Pirouette team to bring on the dreadfulness!
