Royals #2 – Don’t Cross The Wrong Guy

Paul and Castor Wahng share a telepathic gift. In Royals they’ve grown tired of fleecing regular poker players and decide to risk everything in a game against the leader of a criminal syndicate. While the Wahng brothers come out on top, Daeshim Kang doesn’t take too kindly to losing in his own casino. As the brothers each celebrate in their own way, trouble is brewing just below the surface.

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Creative Team

Writer: Derek Kirk Kim
Artist: Jacob Perez
Cover Artist: Jacob Perez

Writing

Derek Kirk Kim crafts a really strong second issue of Royals. I appreciated that we got to see Paul develop more as a character beyond just the guy helping his brother cheat at cards. Kim does a really good job of showing the conflict between brothers that anyone with siblings has experienced. It was only a matter of time before two brothers so drastically different would run into conflict, and we get it in this issue.

The telepathy aspect of the two brothers gives Kim a lot of room to craft a new style in the typical heist story. He actually makes me feel bad for Paul because Castor just lives it up, and Paul is always the one stuck paying the bill, literally and figuratively. Kim is putting together a really good story that is unique and enjoyable. Even the cronies get in on the humor.

Art

If Royals is Jacob Perez’s first professional work in comics, you can’t tell. Everything about the art and colors in this issue is spectacular. Each character feels unique and fleshed out. Perez makes each character so expressive that word bubbles aren’t even necessary to know what they’re thinking or feeling.

I really appreciated Perez’s attention to detail. Little subtle details like cigarette smoke moving the right direction in the wind or buttons lighting up just right on a cell phone screen can often go unnoticed but Perez kills all those little details. If this is where Perez is starting his professional comics career, we are all in for one heck of a ride as we watch him grow.

Final Thoughts

Royals #2 picks up right where Royals #1 left off and gives us a great look at the dynamic between the Wahng brothers. This series feels like a new and creative way to look at a style of story that has been told before. This series feels like a well-researched thesis. Every character feels fleshed out, multi-dimensional, and unique. This was a perfect second issue from this creative team after such a good debut issue.

Overall Grade: 10/10

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