The second issue of this fast-paced series really revs it up a notch and kicks the action into overdrive. Anyway, dodgy review puns aside Velocity #2 is a great issue that is really worth your time. 

Carin aka Velocity has been implanted with a virus that will kill her in 60 minutes. Not only her but all the members of Cyberforce have been implanted with the same virus. Due to Carin’s powers the virus hasn’t rendered her unconscious, like the rest of Cyberforce, so she’s locked in the race of her life to save not only herself but her friends. Issue 2 sees Carin attempting to find a cure for the virus with the help of some not so friendly friends.  

I really like the sense of urgency the comic has. It suits a book based on a character that has the ability to run extremely fast. Pitting her against the clock pushes her to the limit and we start to see who the real Carin is. There are a few cracks in the armor, especially when other women are involved, but there’s a deep dedication and loyalty to her friends and teammates. She also shows rationality under deep stress choosing to save a team member, tied to Hunter-Killer, who can help the others first rather than saving her own sister first and risking everyone’s life. The book also sets up a few roadblocks so things won’t boil down to just ‘will Carin be able to run fast enough?’ Instead it’s ‘will Carin be able to run fast enough while killing evil robots and other nasty things?’ Also a first-time reader could probably pick up this issue and have a fair idea of what is going on. There’s a quick explanation of who Carin is and what’s happened and then the book launches into the main story.  

The dialogue was also really quite good. Even though Carin is a superhero she has this very natural way of speaking and acting that makes her a far more likable character. There was also just the right amount of humor as to not make light of the fact that 6 people could die within the hour. It was fun but the characters never forgot what was at stake. 

Velocity is probably one of the best drawn and colored books I’ve seen and it has a style all to its own. Velocity #2 continues that high standard except for a few things. The narration from Carin (Velocity) was penciled in yellow with a bright green background. This color combination was not the greatest for reading although this may be affected by my reading the comic on my computer. Hopefully the green is toned down in print. What would have to be the stand out of the issue was the two-page splash-page when Carin enters the Hunter-Killer base. The artist breaks the two pages down into 4x4 grids with one specific moment of the fight overlaid on the pages. It’s not something you’ve probably seen before but it’s certainly eye-catching albeit bordering on over the top.  The way the technology, of which there is a lot of, is drawn is just beautiful. You can lose yourself in all the details of the art and it comes together to create a truly believable world. The use of color is also great. Everything has this slightly muted and washed out tone to it that just really works for the story.  

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Velocity #2 and I can’t wait to see how the story is going to end. It’s not often that I feel the lead characters life is actually in danger in a comic but in Velocity I’m not so sure Carin is going to make it and that’s an exciting prospect.