The Scourge of Twin Galaxies has returned in the second issue of Image’s Battle Beast and he is hungry. Despite gorging on last issue’s defeated Colossus, Battle Beast is hungry for a worthy ending. Will he find it in this issue? Of course not, but we are here for the journey.
Spoilers ahead for Battle Beast #2
Criticisms from this site over some of Robert Kirkman’s clunky exposition in the first issue (Battle Beast #1 review) are thankfully not a concern here. The pacing is much better in this issue with action, lore, and cameos spaced out, keeping the story going.
Battle Beast is continuing his mission to wander space and fight beings until he finds one strong enough to kill him. Alongside him are Salaka, trying his best to not be next on the menu, and the ship’s computer who promised to help Battle Beast in his quest. Kirkman uses these two to great effect, adding depth to the computer by showing the lengths it will go to to try and kill Battle Beast.
Although we do not find anything new about Battle Beast’s history, we do find out a bit more about his incredible strength. Battle Beast is apparently almost immune to starvation, boasting he could drift in space and be discovered long before he starved. This will mean the ship’s computer will have to come up with more devious plans to try and kill Battle Beast.
It is with Salaka though that Kirkman moves the story forward, as Salaka knows how to find the Juggernaut, sister to the defeated Colossus. This would surely prove to be a worthy test for Battle Beast. First, they will need to stop at a remote outpost to get Battle Beast new weapons and to heal Saraka and his broken body.
“Their taste is exquisite.”
Battle Beast
On this outpost, Battle Beast enthusiastically joins the gladiatorial Blood Games in search of his glorious demise. Showing similar enthusiasm are illustrator Ryan Ottley and colourist Annalisa Leoni whose best work comes in these pages. Every blood splatter and flying eyeball are captured with ruthless abandon. These two are a great pairing, elevating each other’s style.
For long term fans of Invincible, they will be pleased to be getting some Easter eggs as the issue has cameos from the spoof Star Trek crew from Invincible. No doubt the rest of the series will have more tie-ins, particularly as Battle Beast is set at the same time as a large part of Invincible.
The issue ends with a cliffhanger, with Battle Beast seemingly captured. This might be the series downfall as, like with many spin-offs that are not sequels, these cliffhangers and fights don’t have much threat of danger; we know Battle Beast survives. Other media, like One Punch Man use methods like humour to get through this ‘unbeatable’ problem. It will be interesting to see how Battle Beast manages this lack of threat, but in the hands of Kirkman, Ottley and Leoni, the series is likely to go far on spectacle and character presence alone.
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