With the amount of love I had for the first issue (read our review of Daytripper #1), I've eagerly awaited the arrival of issue #2 for the past thirty days. And while the debut issue was exactly what I had expected (in a very good way), this entry was anything but. The direction that creators Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon have taken Daytripper is unexpected to be sure, but certainly not detrimental. In fact, it is difficult to look retrospectively and see this series head anyplace else than where it is in issue #2.
After the shocking ending of the last issue, issue #2 picks up several years earlier in Bras' life and shows us one full day of his existence, as he experiences the culture and people of a place previously foreign to him. I can only assume that this will be the format for the rest of the series; Daytripper #2 implies that subsequent issues will be taking similar looks at the past of Bras, all eventually leading to the culmination of the thematic center of the series.
That said, Daytripper #2 seems to diverge away from the centricity of Bras as a character - which all of issue #1 was devoted to - and he becomes a vessel for the larger ideas that Ba and Moon want to explore. After going through the issue a second time, it dawned on me that Bras is essentially irrelevant; the standout moments in this issue come from his interactions with other characters and the discussions they have. It's not a bad thing, the series simply seems to be diverging from expectations and becoming not so much a characters study as it is an exploration of life's many intricacies.
Ba and Moon's artwork is on par with what you'd expect from their work, featuring a simple presentation and basic panel layouts with highly emotive characters. Once again, it's the coloring of the fantastic Dave Stewart that makes Daytripper come alive. Stewart's warm color palette give the entire issue a dreamlike quality that suits it perfectly. I'm excited for the remaining six issues to really show off the kind of images that Ba, Moon and Stewart can pull off together.
Daytripper #2 reasserts what issue #1 hinted at: this series is going to be something special. While I do hope that the creators decide to bring Bras the character more fully into the fold, as opposed to Bras the philosopher, I'm enjoying the subject matters they are attempting to explore. It feels unique, but more importantly, it feels genuine.
