Geiger vol. 2

I was amenable to seeing more adventures of Tariq Geiger after his first, but not really passionate about it.  Which is a good thing because then I’d probably be upset that this second volume arrived three years after the first.  As it is, I’m able to pick up and read “Geiger” vol. 2 without any real expectations beyond hoping to be entertained by it.  Which I was.

Not because it’s a great marvel of storytelling.  This second volume is a leaner post-apocalyptic tale than the first, focusing more on the title character’s slow journey across the wasteland along with his two-headed dog, Barney,  until he meets up with Nate the Nuclear Knight.  Formerly a member of one of the gangs from Vegas, Nate wants to be a better person and he sees Geiger as someone who can help him do that.  Our protagonist, grim loner that he is, wants nothing to do with the man until Nate tells him something surprising.  That he knows of someone like Geiger who was cured of his radioactive condition.

Now we’ve got a proper direction for this story; albeit, one that leaves itself open to plenty of diversions.  Like saving a small community from raiders.  Stopping some hunters from taking out the mutated inhabitants of a zoo.  Along with the main focus of the story, taking on the bounty hunter who calls himself The Electrician, who has come for Geiger due to the rather large reward offered by whatever’s in charge of what’s left of the United States.

None of this offers any real surprises to the reader.  What enjoyment the stories here have to offer lies in seeing familiar tropes executed with enough skill to make them readable.  Yes, Geiger is a familiar character type, but we’re given enough knowledge of his past, and shown enough of his current persona to make him sympathetic.  Nate is a well-meaning goof who screws things up more often than not, but he’s constantly trying to do better which makes it all the more satisfying to see him succeed.  As for Barney, he’s a very good two-headed boy whose loyalty and viciousness (against the people who deserve it) endeared him to this avowed cat lover.

Still, I think that everything here works as well as it does thanks to the art of Gary Frank.  The man has been a fantastic artist for years and he shows us again why that is here.  He delivers work that’s rich in detail and in expression, giving us characters that really convey the drama of the story but do it in a way that feels natural.  They also do this against settings that really feel like gritty, run-down post-apocalyptic places that are also framed in a way to invite you to take them all in.  Along with the action as well, as everything is framed and flows in a way that makes everything easy to follow and draws you in as well.

I do wonder how this series would hold up if Frank ever decided to leave.  Maybe it’d just feel more run-of-the-mill if they didn’t find the right artist to replace him.  We may get a look at that in vol. 3 as this will collect the two-issue origin miniseries of “Geiger” as well as new issues from the main series, and some extra stuff that wasn’t drawn by him.  The series is fine post-apocalyptic comfort food as it is; though, the next volume may wind up offering some answers as to whether that’s a sustainable proposition from the writer and the artist.