There is no question that issue 2 of the Eclipse does an excellent job of fusing action, dystopia, and a crime thriller into one comic. In particular the issue focuses on Baxter getting the Mayor’s daughter home safely. When he arrives there, the Mayor asks him to join his men in going after the murderer to eventually kill him. As Baxter joins the Mayor’s men he is subjected to greater mysteries as to why the murderer can survive in the sunlight and what has occurred in this area of the city. Issue 2 of this comic only begins to set the stage of what this comic is going to offer.
The Good:
The comic immediately sets the tone with a flashback from 10 years ago, as Baxter had to make a choice between his family and the mayor of the city. The plot is influenced by his choice to save the Mayor. We get a sense of the type of man Baxter is, one who puts the greater good ahead of himself. This is reinforced as he brings the Mayor’s daughter back and accepts the Mayor’s request to find the murderer. Furthermore, the comic raises the stakes as the Mayor tells Baxter a story about the relationship between NYC and DC. Right as the flare went up DC officials attempted to take control of the city, using force and assassination attempts, which resulted in the Mayor surrendering the city. Upon surrendering the city he killed all of the government officials, knowing that they would not be able to make the correct choices for the city to survive, which is why NYC survived while DC has not. This shows that the Mayor is willing to do what ever it takes to allow NYC to survive even if it means killing, thus his orders for Baxter to kill this murderer are not light orders. Yet at the same time it raises questions if the Mayor has alternative motives and wants this murderer out of the picture due to his ability to survive in the sun. This drives at the idea that the very problem could be stemming from within the city rather than an external threat. The comic’s depiction of the Mayor opens up the possibility for various outcomes that can occur.
The Bad:
The comic has some low points. In particular, the components where Baxter is escorting the Mayor’s daughter home after saving her. This is predicable and took up too many panels for a component of the comic that has no significant meaning to the over all story. Furthermore, the comic attempted to introduce a new character into the story, Valp. Rather than doing a good job with this character, she misses with the audience as she brushes off Baxter’s questions to her and appears in many aspects superior to him. Her character creates a divide between the two of them, as well as the reader. In doing this it makes the comic slightly awkward to read due to the disconnection.
The Verdict:
The comic’s concept of fusing a dystopia, action, and crime thriller is still an interesting idea in the comic field. The issue does deliver some character development of Baxter as we see the choices he has made and the reasons behind them. Furthermore, as the readers, we are let in on how serious the situation has become as the Mayor of NYC feels that this murderer threatens his city. As a result he has deployed Baxter and a team to kill the murderer showing that he is willing to kill in order to protect his city. Baxter’s deployment has resulted in more action as he comes in contract with the murderer while being exposed to more of the crimes committed. This makes the comic captivating, despite its flaws, as you want to understand the motives behind the murderer. You want to see how the story ends, which draws a reader in.
