“Yumi: 00EX #2” Review – Love, Death and Yumi

The Run Down

To start things off, let us help you with a bit of catch-up in case you either missed or don’t remember the first issue of Doug Wagner’s “Yumi: 00EX”! Meet Yumi, our titular chaos gremlin who’s set out to find Richard, the love of her life… or is he? In this globe-trotting romp, we witness as she’s willing to tear anything and anyone down to reach her goal. Where will she end up next? What new information will she find out? Well, find out with Eddie and me as we review Wagner’s second outing with “Yumi: 00EX”!

Writer: Doug Wagner
Artist: Hoyt Silva
Colorist: Kevin Lennertz
Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Cover Artists: Sweeney Boo, Loish, Chris Bachalo

The Writing

Eddie: Yumi has come across some of Richard’s former flames, and she’s sending them all a message. She’ll have to trot the globe, hunting them down one by one to get closer to Richard. If anybody has the will and skill to do this, it’s Yumi.

“Yumi: 00EX #2” picks up right where we last saw our contemporary femme fatale. The issue keeps the same frenetic feeling, like you’re scrolling through reels on Instagram at a breakneck pace, and Yumi is adding destinations to her feed more like an influencer than a lethal secret agent. It’s a unique perspective, as we see everything as Yumi experiences it. If there is one point of criticism with issue #2, it is that frenetic pace. With the globetrotting and the level of talent we see in Yumi, we are missing out on the pivotal element of character stakes. We know that Yumi is trying to save Richard, but nothing seems to challenge her.

Eda: Regretfully, after just how good the first issue was, this installment left me rather mixed. First things first, while the story remains just as intriguing, the pace felt a bit off to me. While it can be seen as being through the eyes of the character herself, her antics worldwide are something I personally would’ve loved to have seen each have their own issue or be expanded upon more here. Between parts of her adventure being given this quick nature to other parts being slowed down, the pacing felt a bit all over. However, I truly appreciated those slow moments, as they allow readers to partake in the action and adventure alongside Yumi. Simultaneously, these slower moments allow us to gain more of her personality while soaking in the new tidbits of lore that are integral to the story.

In speaking of the story itself, what we did manage to get here roped me in deeper. After reading, I’m now finding myself questioning if the love between Richard and Yumi was real or if she’s really just crazy. It’s things like this that are not only keeping me hooked on what Wagner’s cooking, but what keeps me hooked on good stories in general. Is our narrator reliable or not? Should we be questioning everything we’re seeing? With there being only a few more issues, I just wish this one gave us a tad bit more of that. With all of that being said, knowing Wagner, he’s got great things coming down the pipeline.

The Art

Eddie: The star of the issue is the artwork of Hoyt Silva and Kevin Lennertz. They capture the speed of events and the action and show us that Yumi is someone with whom no one should trifle. Lennertz’ colors are particularly effective throughout the course of the story. The textures that he adds with them create flashy and almost surreal environments while enhancing the overall action.

Eda: Just like with the previous issue, the art and colors here remain top-notch stuff! First, the art of Hoyt Silva is arguably just as fun and unique as the first issue. I particularly loved the action-heavy pages, as they showed a diverse array of reactions, poses, and angles that kept the action electrifying and visually stunning. There was also one moment in particular that felt surprisingly grotesque yet not out of place. This moment truly showed us that Yumi doesn’t ever hold back, a very subtle character-building moment that truly stood out!

As for the color side of things, Lennertz continues to give the book so much personality. While Yumi’s personality is chaos incarnate, Lennertz’s command of color is anything but. The way that he manages to blend the deeper tones of blue, orange, yellow, and purple together in a way that contrasts with the main character while keeping in tone with the book should be studied. Through doing that, he adds layers to the magic already there and it’s a wonder to behold. The lettering by Cvetkovic also remains fantastic throughout, building out each scene to enhance the action, show phone calls and let us know when Yumi’s rocking out.

Final Thoughts

Eddie: “Yumi: 00EX” remains a fun and entertaining story. The flamboyant characters and over-the-top action combine to create a visual spectacle that outweighs the issue’s pacing issues.

Eda: While the pacing this time around might leave some wanting a bit more, Wagner’s storytelling is more than enough to keep readers engaged. That, coupled with the amazing art and design team at his back, makes “Yumi: 00EX #2” a truly good issue in its own right.

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Eddie’s Grade: 8/10
Eda’s Grade: 8/10
Overall Grade: 8/10

Comments

Are you reading “Yumi: 00EX”? If so, what are your thoughts so far? Let us know in the comments below!