The Pull List – DIE!NAMITE #2
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Writer: Declan Shalvey & Fred Van Lente
Art: Vincenzo Carratu & Pasquale Qualano
Color: Kike J. Diaz
As the undead reaches Earth and beyond, it draws in more heroes into the fray. A quiet retirement home turns into a zombie feeding frenzy and Marla Drake dons her cat costume to become Miss Fury. On a Drakulon vessel, Vampirella is ambushed by a ghoulish Martian that has left many dead in its wake. Standing atop of a cursed temple, Sonja encounters the sentient button Smiley, who informs the barbarian warrior to trust his crude words if she wants to make it out alive. As more heroes arrive to stop the evil undead from spreading, will they contain the madness or release it?
By chance, Marla Drake resides at the same retirement home as John Carter, who has known turned into something sinister. As the sounds of gore fill the air, Marla Drake suits up as Miss Fury. But she is not the only hero prepared to fight. Black Terror, Green Lama, Miss Masque, The Death-Defying ‘Devil, and a few others from Project Superpowers answer the calls of the undead panic. Meanwhile, Vampirella fends off a crazed alien that has spread its undead curse aboard the Drakulon vessel. As Vampirella warns the Drakula ship Commander, she soon finds herself as an expendable guest on his ship.
Declan Shalvey and Fred Van Lente follow their introductory issue with more exploration with each hero, while injecting a few ones to the mix. It’s fun to see how some of the heroes handle this tense situation with charming and witty dialogue. Especially for Peter Cannon, who wants to snag a few things off a personal checklist while he is in America. The humor doesn’t take up too much of the plot, the writers killing off a few heroes for shock and taunt that anyone can easily fall with a bite.
The artwork of Vincenzo Carratu and Pasquale Qualano mesh nicely with this type of storytelling. It has great detail for the kinds of undread actions of the evil literally eating up the scenery.
DIE!NAMITE #2 continues to be a fun read that isn’t afraid to pick off heroes left and right if it means surprising the readers. Hopefully, the next issue’s plot will show more direction of who is controlling the evil undead plague.