“Yesterday’s” Comic> Vortex: The Second Coming #1

“Green Lantern’s butt has competition, baby!”

Vortex: The Second Coming #1

Entity Comics (1996)

“Beyond Mortal Fear”

WRITER/ARITST: Matthew Martin

COLORING: Teetime Studios & House Of Maus

EDITOR: Don Chin

Some guy named Skurge ends up in Hell but it takes a demon showing his true form about to drop him into the lake of fire to convince him. On Earth a demon convinces a man named Roger to rape and injure his date’s eyes. Vortex, not happy about having to come to Chicago, comes across her as she runs off, and has to fight something claiming to be Death to keep her. Then Skurge arrives, somehow, and the two confront “Death”, Vortex offering his life for hers, which is fine with Death.

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what to make of this one. The art is okay for an indie book. I think the concept here is a Christian take on Spawn given his outfit’s design but I don’t know. It feels like it wants to use that idea, only with Vortex serving the Lord than fighting to not work for the Devil. I’m just not sure it works in execution. There’s quotes, there’s Vortex quoting Scripture and teachings at Death, but it doesn’t feel like a real bout of Spiritual Warfare with some physical stuff thrown in. I know what it wants to be, and I’ve seen it done worse, but it’s the story itself that kind of doesn’t work, not the teachings. Plus now our hero has a blade through his skull and I have no idea who this Skurge guy is, or his deal, or why I should care.

Maybe I just came in on the wrong issue but I don’t think the story presentation was as thought out as it could be and overall it’s just not a good reading experience for me. I’m a Christian, I want good Christian comics. I’m not doubting that’s what they want to make but I think it’s more their writing skills than their believes that aren’t working here. Again, maybe it’s the wrong issue and a previous issue (the first coming or whatever they called it, or a #0 exists) but as much as I want to like Vortex, and I remember having a problem with the other Vortex comic I read back in the day but not exactly what, it just doesn’t succeed for me at least.