The Good

Did you miss VELVET in the month that there were no new issues because the trade came out? I sure did; Brubaker and Epting left us with a pretty bold close to the first arc (and opening up of old wounds). And the start of this new one? Seamless.

Now that Velvet knows she's been double-crossed in the worst way, there's a new level of confidence and agency in the way she goes about tracking down her betrayer. Last arc, she was on the run. Now she's working towards being a few steps ahead. This book is paced to move; it always has been, and I'm glad to see that there's no sign of that stopping.

The colors on this book are flawless. Bettie Breitweiser's nighttime rain sequences are always spectacular (I would buy an art book of just these.), and the whole book just has such moody, evocative lighting. Steve Epting's art is gorgeous, and Breitweiser's colors make it even better.

The Bad

Nothing here. This issue feels like a textbook example of how to open a second volume without missing a beat.

The Verdict

VELVET kicks off its second arc with as much energy and intrigue as the first, never flagging in terms of action or sharpness. For all of the high-paced fight-and-flight of the first arc, the series feels like it's really diving into its core with Velvet's new, more personal motivation to find the traitor in ARC-7. And now that she's bringing the fight out in the open, I have a feeling we're going to see Velvet Templeton at her most exceptional.

I'm so in-love with Velvet (both book and Girl Friday)!

Great issue and start to this arc. Velvet's on the offensive now, can't wait for the next issue.

On another note, any idea why this review didn't post on the home page?

This book is so goooooooooood

I tell everyone that I see buying any Image books at my LCS to buy Velvet. It's really awesome and the art alone makes it worth the cover price.

This contuines to be one of my favorite books! The writing, art and colors are just perfect!