Andrew McCarroll Comic Reviews

Half Past Danger issue 2 has defiantly simmered down after the bombastic opening issue but it is no less readable or enjoyable for it. Two issues in and it is already one of the year's most gripping titles. Let's hope Mooney can continue to build on the momentum he has created and continue his emergence as one of the most exciting voices in Irish comics.

The response to Half Past Danger has been almost universally positive-the first two issues sold out completely at distributor level " so it's not hard to see why there are elements of the story that will grip fans of several different genres. It appears Mooney has been able to create a perfect storm of action, comedy and drama""".long may it continue!

This issue was every bit as good as we have come to expect from what is now this year's must read comic. The series is clearly influenced by a number of other titles across a vast array of mediums. There are hints of everything from Indiana Jones to Nextwave to Preacher however, much like Tarantino who can borrow from a multitude of sources, Mooney can take elements of others work and make it his own, giving it his own unique voice.

The series has been an unashamed joy to read. It doesn't try to be a none more dark story that seems to be the default for many titles. Half Past Danger is pure fun and excitement, packed with great action and interesting characters. It's the film 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' should have been. Despite being, or perhaps because of being a first time writer, Mooney brings a swagger, confidence and humor to his creation that is missing from a lot of the big two's larger titles. As excited as I am for the series to reach its conclusion I am quite sad at the thoughts of one of the freshest and most exciting title in years come to a close.

The series has been an unashamed joy to read. It doesn't try to be a none more dark story that seems to be the default for many titles. Half Past Danger is pure fun and excitement, packed with great action and interesting characters. It's the film 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' should have been.

For my money, Half Past Danger has been the book of the year. High concept books often find themselves running out of steam once the novelty of the initial premise has wore off. Mooney smartly has framed his story around interesting characters that in lesser hands could easily have come off as a greatest hits of other facets of serialized fiction. The story has ripped along with an excitement and humour that is sadly missing from an age where being darker and realistic are too often confused with being better. For all their good work in releasing a title with no distracting advertisements that allowed the story to flow, IDW have dropped the ball with the oft delayed release of the final issue which has cruelly robbed the book of its momentum.

The book is being launched at ArcadeCon in The Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin which runs from the 11th to the 13th of July.

It has been a long time since a first issue has left me giddy with anticipation of what is next. With a fast paced story and razor sharp dialogue ("I died once, it was boring") this issue was nothing short of stunning. With a perfect blend of writer and artist that is hopefully the beginning of long partnership, which promises to deliver something truly unique. For now though, we can simply sit back and enjoy what, for my money, is the best single issue of the year so far and hope that this level of quality continues throughout the run; highly recommended.

Overall the issue was a positive if flawed one. There are a number of potentially interesting threads and it is a nice sideways version of the movie. Hopefully the exposition heavy middle segment will not reoccur in future issues, the nice final line of the book seems to confirm that. The artwork is the real stand out; Mike Mayhew's work is gorgeous. His designs of both ships and characters elevate the book above its sometimes clunky dialogue, as Harrison Ford famously said "you can type this $hit, but you can't say it," turns out even when typed it is still as clunky.

Overall the issue was a positive if flawed one. There are a number of potentially interesting threads and it is a nice sideways version of the movie. Hopefully the exposition heavy middle segment will not reoccur in future issues, the nice final line of the book seems to confirm that. The artwork is the real stand out, Mike Mayhew's work is gorgeous.