KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #2 – Review

In KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #2, available from Dynamite Comics on September 8th, 2021, KISS learns why they were captured by Darius Cho, and they receive help from an unlikely source when their newfound powers are put to the test.

The Details

• Written By: Ian Edginton
• Art By: Celor
• Colors By: Valentina Pinto
• Letters By: Troy Peteri
• Cover Art By: Jae Lee, June Chung
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: September 8, 2021

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Was It Good?

Issue #2 is better than issue #1. To be clear, his is not a perfect comic. Some of the issues pointed out in the last review persist, but there are improvements, making for a more enjoyable read.

Edginton’s latest entry focuses on the band’s capture and escape, lathering the entire scenario in a healthy dose of exposition to inform the reader about what’s really going on. The premise is plausible from a science fiction perspective, but the mad scientist execution is a bit wacky. However, the wackiness is over-the-top fun and it doesn’t feel out of place in the story as it’s presented. The net result is simply a wild adventure that doesn’t require the reader to do anything more than just sit back and enjoy it.

What helps make the reading experience more enjoyable is the excellent execution of the main villain’s monologue/exposition dump. Normally, all the information would make the villain come off as one-dimensional but it makes sense to clarify the random events that made the first issue so disjointed.

The bigger positive is a notable improvement in the artwork. To be fair, it’s still not great art. The linework is weak, looking like something of a self-published indie comic from a new creator, but at least the panels look finished. The rushed, incomplete work is much less pronounced in this issue, and that’s a welcome improvement.

In all, the story makes more sense (even if it is wacky), and the art is at least finished and improved compared to issue #1.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Before you play the next track on this album, go back and listen to our KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #1 review.

We begin with a news report claiming KISS is dead after their charter plane went down over the ocean. Darius Cho planted the story and fake wreckage to ensure nobody would come looking for the titular band.

KISS wakes up in a laboratory where Cho has each member stored inside some kind of medical chamber. Through an (admittedly interesting) villain monologue, Cho explains the universe manifests unique energy in rare individuals and his research has led him to the band. The staged disaster Cho set off at the end of the last issue pushed the band to manifest their latent power, proving Cho’s theory correct.

Now, Cho intends to extract the “cosmic power” from the band and use it for his own purposes rather than have it go to waste on Rock ‘n Roll. We conclude the issue with Cho discovering that he can’t always simply take what he wants, Paul Stanley discovering he and Darius Cho have something in common, and a kaiju appearance for the ages.

Final Thoughts

KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #2 improves on storytelling and art to lay out a wacky sci-fi story that makes sense. Edginton executes one of the better examples of a villain monologue, and the artwork eliminates the rushed/unfinished problems from the previous issue.

Score: 7.5/10