"The Devil Inside, Part Two: The Knotted Rope"
Writer: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Artists: Darick Robertson (p), Wayne Faucher (i)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Plot:
As Nightcrawler makes a failed attempt at saving the life of the man who was set on fire at the end of the previous issue, we see he comes to the conclusion that this case involves magic, and he soon finds himself paying a visit to his former girlfriend Amanda Sefton, who gives him advice on how to make the surviving child speak. However, his interview doesn't get too far along when the child is whisked away, and Kurt is left wondering what to do next.
Comments:
I'm enjoying this opening arc quite a bit as unlike many of the recent opening arcs that have been offered up during the flood of new titles that Marvel unleashed on the market, this one seems to be offering up a story with enough material to support a five-six part arc. Now it is somewhat annoying to see Kurt coming across as clueless regarding the big, bad villain of this arc, as he was on hand to witness Barney Franks accusations against Dr. Childs, and given Barney than burst into flames, it doesn't take much effort on Kurt's part to connect the dots. It also doesn't help matters that the information that Kurt's able to gain during his interview with the child only serves to make Dr. Childs look even more guilty, but Kurt's trouble radar still doesn't seem to register the man as the main threat. Still, I'm not going to make to much of Kurt's seeming indecisiveness, as frankly the character has never been presented as a character who is prone to impulsive acts based on half-formed suspicions. However, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa does need to make a greater effort to show why Kurt isn't directing his full attention Dr. Childs way, as the character looks as guilty as sin, and with the life of a child, plus the murder of thirteen others, one would hope the character would be a little quicker on the draw. In any event I did enjoy the steady progress that this issue made as we open with a lovely bit of action as Kurt attempts to put out the flames that are consuming Barney Franks, and there's a wonderful sense of menace established with the discovery that these flames still burn underwater. The visit to Amanda Sefton was also a welcome nod on the head to Kurt's past, and it's nice to see the two are still on relatively friendly terms. The brief appearance of a demon entity was also a powerful moment, as we see the situation is far more dire than Kurt seems prepared to handle.
Darick Robertson does a wonderful job on this issue, from capturing the sense of urgency during the opening scene as Kurt tries to save the life of the dying Barney Franks, to the character's look of desperation on the final page as he gets a good look at how far out of his element this case has become. The art also does some solid work when it comes to capturing the magical domain of Amanda Sefton, as we get a great establish shot of her castle, and the serpent guardians made for a decidedly creepy visual. There's also some nice work when it comes to capturing the emotional states of the characters, from Kurt's look of horror when he realizes the flames aren't going out, to Amanda's expression when she learns about the knotted rope. The brief appearance of the demon was also a powerful image. I also have to make mention of the lovely cover by Greg Land, who once again proves to be one of the best cover artists in the industry, as that's a lovely shot of Nightcrawler.
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