ADVANCED REVIEW: Clear #2: The Flowers of a Falling Hero (Spoiler-Free)

Man, this series is just wonderful. Sitting at a good 58 pages per issue at $4.99 with just straight, uncompromising story, Clear #2 is a good deal. Pair that with Scott Snyder’s writing talents and Francis Manapaul on all artistic duties, and you get a book worth every penny and then some.

This issue moves the plot forward with big reveals in regards to the mysteries surrounding Kendra and the yellow-eyed Sam, backing it up with some pretty fun world building, character work, and jaw-dropping art. A lot that could be said about this issue is a downright spoiler or a major reveal, however none of them really pull your leg as a reader. They’re all intrinsically tied into Sam’s internal struggles and the themes of Clear. At times they are even emotionally enthralling, such as the major flashback that goes on to define Sam’s actions as a main character from here on out.

Snyder’s stories can often ebb and flow in terms of pacing, but I think he is is at his most focused here in terms of dialogue and plotting. The plot is run at a machine gun’s pace, bouncing from development to development without forgetting a beat. It’s the rich connective tissue that every good middle chapter should be, going deep into the backstory behind Sam and Kendra’s relationship, which is tied directly into the conflict at hand. Enough time is spent with our characters and within the wonderfully exciting action set-pieces that the long speech bubbles full of sci-fi explanations and world building don’t drag anything down. There’s time in this issue to just sit with Sam and his emotions. There’s a particularly well-executed moment in a historic church that really goes the distance in giving room for moments to breathe. As fast as our story moves in this chapter, it’s never blinding.

Every beat also serves to expand upon the world introduced in issue #1. Seeing new sides to this future society, even at the most macro of levels, makes for an issue that’s always somewhat intriguing. The team even introduces robot workers that have replaced the jobs human beings often reject or look down upon, a cool bit of world building that highlights just how disconnected humanity has become.

The only complaint that I could have about this issue is that some things get trampled over in order to keep the story going that would’ve benefited from an extra page or two of breathing room, such as the opening scene or the church scene. While some great moments occur within both of these, an extra page to breathe a little bit more life into some of the ancillary ‘plot device’ characters would’ve been appreciated.