REVIEW: 'Devolution' #2 by Rick Remender, Jonathan Wayshak, and Jordan Boyd

★★★★☆ (4/5)

'Devolution' is a nasty, brutal, violent, and exhilarating story that gives Dynamite a flagship title readers can sink their teeth into. It gives the same kind of visceral experience 'The Walking Dead' has for years. Rick Remender isn't pulling any punches as Raja makes her plea to find the serum that could save humanity except the Nazi hillbilly in charge, Gil, isn't ready to return things to normal.

Gil reasserts his authority, making it clear that he has no desire to help Raja find a cure that will essentially undercut his power. He imprisons Raja in his sex dungeon and all seems lost. Remender knows how to up the tension and raise the stakes as things go crazy. A castration, a surprise ally, an exciting escape, and a fire fight ramp up the action in a blockbuster issue number two. 

Jonathan Wayshak does a great job of creating a stark and desperate atmosphere within the camp. There are hints of a Mad Max aesthetic but where Wayshak excels is in designing Gil. He's already the over-the-top villain, a harsh and cruel demented dictator, but Wayshak delivers a larger-than-life beast. He fills every panel he's featured in both menacing and overpowering. Jordan Boyd's dirty colors appropriately reflect the ugliness in the world. Boyd filters his subdued palette through a cement mixer creating a hazy and gritty vision. 

'Devolution' #2 sets off a powder keg of action that thrusts the story forward in a big way. Remender, Wayshak, and Boyd have crafted enough twists in this post-apocalyptic tale that makes it fresh, bombastic, and ultra-violent. Everything you could want and a fearless heroine to boot.