The Electric Sublime #2 Review

The Electric Sublime #2

Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martín Morazzo
Colorist: Mat Lopes
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Publisher: IDW

Review by Anelise Farris

The Electric Sublime #2 is the second issue in a series about a tortured artist, art crime investigators, and hints of madness and magic. In issue #1, famous art like the Mona Lisa is altered—resulting in a string of violence, seemingly art-related. The Art Brut, an artist in a psych ward, is recruited by the Bureau of Artistic Integrity to help solve the mystery. Why? Well, Arthur (the “Art Brut”) has an ability that allows him to transport himself into works of art. We also meet a young boy who seems to have a dangerous art-related gift himself.

The Electric Sublime #2 picks up where issue #1 left off: Arthur is staying with Director Breslin, hoping to provide insight into the art crime situation. Breslin visits the “Electric Sublime”—the living worlds within art—with Arthur, as they try to figure out what is making the art sick and causing people to go crazy. While Arthur seems only to be “sane” when he is in the “Electric Sublime,” Breslin herself appears to be changed by the time she spends there. A single survivor from a massacre at a local art class might just be the clue Breslin and Arthur need in order to figure out who is behind these art crimes.

As with issue #1, there is a careful balance between the bright, psychedelic, and surreal coloring of the art world with the more muted, stark, and neutral coloring of the “real” world. The writing is clear and fast-paced, and the art has a hypnotic effect that draws you into a world of art and madness. This is a series that demands multiple reads—not only because it’s intriguing in its own right, but also because it raises a lot of interesting questions about the role of art in our lives, both as creators and receivers.

The Verdict
Buy it! The Electric Sublime #2 carries on the story introduced in issue #1—not in a fast-paced, high-powered action adventure way, but in a dreamy, languid, hypnotic manner that is difficult to resist. Also, if you were curious about the boy introduced in issue #1, we meet him again in the epilogue of issue #2!