Genius #2
Image/Top Cow/Minotaur
Words:  Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman
Pictures:  Afua Richardson
Letters: Troy Peteri

Take Robin Hood, the Kingpin, V for Vendetta, switch genders, crank up the violence and intensity to 11, bring it into modern times and set it in LA, and you’ve got a rough idea of what’s going on in Genius.  This issue brings us behind the front lines of the siege that started in the first issue.  It becomes more obvious that this is an all out war on all fronts; from the streets, to the news room, to social media, to mayors’ office.  Everyone is scrambling, except for our Genius, Destiny.  She’s still pulling the strings, but, as the last page points out, that may come back to haunt her.  Authors Bernardin and Freeman have set forth a gritty tale of urban oppression and retribution while Afua Richardson brings it to life.  And of course, running not too deeply beneath all that action is an undercurrent of real world issues, fears and frustrations.  In a world that seems to be constantly ready to boil over, Genius lifts the lid of that pot a bit to take a peek at what’s bubbling up from below.

3.5 out of 5 Molotov Cocktails