It's funny, when I read issue #1 of IDW's A-Team: Shotgun Wedding last week (read the review of A-Team: Shotgun Wedding #1), it never crossed my mind that there were no nuptials in sight. Not even a sliver of my brain was devoted to figuring out why this series was titled Shotgun Wedding. My peon brain aside, in issue #2, everything became clear.
It's strange that in terms of this mini-series, issue #1 had nothing to do with anything; at least, that's the way it appears. Tom Waltz and Joe Carnahan could always pull a fast one and loop it all back around, but as it stands, issue #1 is a complete diversion from the second. In issue #2, while enjoying a vacation in San Diego, the team discovers that they were brought out to a wedding for the daughter of one of Hannibal's old army buddies not to enjoy the festivities, but to investigate threats against the bride.
Shotgun Wedding #2 is a very economical comic book in terms of the use of dialog. The first half or so is essentially exposition, yet Waltz's talent for writing witty banter and enjoyable communications between team members again elevates this series to a level above just another movie tie-in. No matter how many or how few lines a character is given, Waltz is able to use the space he has to firmly establish each character's role on the team, even more successfully than he did in issue #1. The only character that comes off a bit overdone is Murdock. His lunacy is just a tad over the top, in what seems to be an overt effort at comic relief, except the tone of the whole series is such that although gritty, the interplay between characters and their environment is relatively lighthearted. Murdock's extra slapstick almost takes away from the new "grounded" playing field that the A-Team reboot seems to be shooting for.
That aside, Waltz has set up an interesting role for every member of the team to play, and I'm genuinely excited to read further, even if I can sort of predict that the end result will boil down to some explosions and well constructed one-liners.
Stephen Mooney's artwork remains adequate, with the likenesses of the actors becoming more apparent. Last issue, I complained a bit about the still-life quality of Mooney's panels and the bland color work of Alfredo Rodriguez. I'm happy to report that with issue #2, both Mooney and Rodriguez up their game a bit. Mooney's action panels are more kinetic; they could be infused with a bit more energy at times, but it's still a vast improvement. The new setting also provides Rodriguez a bit more to work with, between the ocean, sunsets, and the interiors of a cruise ship. The change of setting allows the book to feel a bit less one-note than it did in the dark snow of Alaska in issue #1.
Overall, Shotgun Wedding #2 does its job in most respects. It's gotten me interested in a movie I previously had almost zero interest in, as well as hooked me in for the next installment. It also improved upon the shortcomings of the preceding issue, which spells promise for the remaining two issues of the series.
