REVIEW: Bizarro: Year None #2
Bizarro: Year None #2, “Chapter Two: Meet The Supermans” sees a bit of time passed as Jimmy and Perry continue their occupation of Bizarro World. More than just a few cracks are starting to show in Bizarro’s ideal world and even some of the denizens of the square planet disapprove of their inequality of life.
The standard cover is by Nick Pitarra and Michael Garland. There’s a lot going on with this piece of art, but it all feels right in context of the chaotic nature of a Bizarro story. Oddly enough the cover does reference a few of the antics within the Bizarro Daily Planet that Jimmy and Perry endure while stuck on Bizarro World.
Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran’s variant is a close up bust of a more traditional looking Bizarro. There’s tell tale signs this look is where the story will eventually end up, but for now there’s other mysteries unraveling that require attention.
The variant by Ibrahim Moustafa shows a menacing looking Superman, most likely Bizarro as a few cracks are on his face, gazing upon Bizarro World as it glows between his hands. It’s a great image depicting the complicated relationship Bizarro has with his own world as he sometimes fills both villain and hero roles simultaneously.
Nick Pitarra is colored by Michael Garland for the interior art of ‘Bizarro: Year None’ #2. Their style really elevates the strange and bizarre situations the characters find themselves. There’s definitely the question of Bizarro’s intentions, not only with Jimmy and Perry, but with the entire populace of Bizarro World. This is expertly expressed through the body language of all the characters, especially Jimmy who looks like his afraid of being killed at any given moment. The tonal uneasiness seems to permeate the rest of the issue as well which helps remind us this is truly a Bizarro story.
Kevin Smith and Eric Carrasco are lettered by Dave Sharpe for Bizarro: Year None #2. The focus continues to stay with Jimmy and Perry as they adjust to life on Bizzaro World. With their real life roles reversed, Perry gets to stretch his investigative reporter skills and discovers some unpleasant truths about their situation and the Superman doppelganger that’s at the center of it all. The title, “Meet The Supermans” is a bit misleading in an appropriate way as it doesn’t refer to multiple Superman/Bizarro variants, but rather the attempt of Bizarro to create a family. This story suggests Bizarro actually has some sort of ability to create life on this planet which makes him a bit scarier as he sees his creations as playthings and holds little regard for their individual existences. With no clear idea of how, or if, they’ll be rescued, Jimmy and Perry can only hope to remain on Bizarro’s “good” (or should that be “bad”) side for the time being.
(8/10) Bizarro: Year None #2 leaned into some of the more comedic aspects of a Bizarro tale but still kept a level of sinister undertones making for a real sense of danger. It’s definitely an approach that suits this story and reminds us how terrifying Bizarro can be.
