Karnak #2

   I'll resist the urge to point out that this is a "monthly" series - but it's been four months since the first issue. (Or maybe I won't.)

   And that's a shame, because this is a really interesting book.

   Karnak was always one of the more interesting (and mysterious) members of the Inhuman Royal Family. As created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he was a martial arts master (before that was a thing) who could sense the weak point in any object.

   These days he's working solo as something of a freelance advisor.

   S.H.I.E.L.D. asks for his help tracking down a missing Inhuman boy who's been kidnapped by a "dark science" organization - and this issue is largely given over to extreme violence as an unarmed Karnak goes up against a small army of killers - and finds a surprise at the end of the fight.

   We also get some interesting and previously-unrevealed insights into the title character's past.

   As always, the script by Warren Ellis is terrific - it pulls you in and never lets go (though the last couple of pages are a bit of a mystery).

   The art by Gerardo Zaffino and Antonio Fuso, with color art by Dan Brown, is compelling. It's rough and brutal throughout, but that fits the story perfectly.

   I really like this series - I just hope we can see it a little more often. Like, you know, monthly.

Grade: A-

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