Writer: Doug Wagner
Artist: Doug Dabbs
Colors: Matt Wilson
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 26th, 2023
Serena and the mysterious Sprout head to a run-down building (Serena calls it a “Crappy Warehouse”) as assassins from Minerva World Services close in in Klik Klik Boom #2. Sprout, who’s a mute teenager who communicates through taking Polaroid pictures, also happens to be trained in all types of combat, and this issue we see her in action. It’s “Hitman” with a dash of “Home Alone”, action-packed and offering more insights into Sprout’s history. If you didn’t pick up the first issue, make it a double and grab it up with this issue so you can get in on the ground floor of this great new mini-series!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Klik Klik Boom #2 Review.
The Story
Klik Klik Boom #1 introduced Sprout. With her mountain of wavy cotton-candy colored hair, freckles randomly dotting her face and a punk-rock style more suited to the 1980’s than the 21st Century, she’s visually stunning. Overall, she’s a pretty fascinating character. In Klik Klik Boom #2, more details of her past are revealed. But this isn’t an issue filled with “Citizen Kane”-style introspection and reminiscing. After all, the book’s titled Klik Klik Boom. It has to deliver on that promise and it does, as it’s filled with brutal bloody action and barrages of bullets.
Serena is a great counterpoint to Sprout. She’s an online journalist but she’s no Lois Lane. She’s filled with anxiety, gets disgusted and/or terrified by everything, and is constantly frustrated by Sprout’s inability to talk. She’s stuck with Sprout though, because her investigations got too close to Minerva’s dark operations, so she’s being targeted by them also. It gives the book a “buddy cop” feel. If Serena weren’t so young, she’d probably be mumbling “I’m too old for this crap” every couple pages, as Sprout takes out one assassin after another as Serena flounders around in terror.
The book doesn’t hold back on the violence. Some of the scenes stray into “Friday the 13th” levels of gore and violence. There’s something disconcerting (in a good way) about seeing Sprout, who looks as innocuous as Pippi Longstocking, using a bedsheet to snap a guy’s neck like a soggy twig. There are so many mysteries still to be uncovered. Why did Sprout kill her mentor? What is Minerva World Services really up to and why is Sprout so determined to take them down? I’m looking forward to seeing more of the answers revealed next issue.
The Art
Doug Dabb’s art and Matt Wilson’s colors on Klik Klik Boom #2 shines from the first page to the last. Dabb and Wilson’s design of Sprout brings her to life and sets her apart from the multitude of other characters out there. The action scenes move at a fast clip and even the quieter scenes have a weight to them. Dabb’s facial expressions are next level and you can really tell how the characters are feeling (especially Sprout) from the nearly infinite variety of expressions throughout the book.
Final Thoughts
Klik Klik Boom #2 continues the miniseries with heavy doses of action, humor and a touch of pathos. Sprout, with her unique way of communicating and her combat prowess, is a fantastic character and I look forward to seeing her battle with Minerva World Services rage on next issue. Recommended.