SEIS CUERDAS: DEFENDER OF MEXICO #2 – An Honest Review

In SEIS CUERDAS: DEFENDER OF MEXICO #2, available from Source Point Press on June 30th, 2021, Seis Cuerdas begins the search for missing children while the war between the cult leader and his former drug lord boss heats up.

The Details

• Written By: Anthony Rella
• Art By: Benito Gallego
• Colors By: Benito Gallego
• Letters By: Anthony Rella
• Cover Art By: Benito Gallego
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: June 30, 2021

Was It Good?

This comic is weirdly amazing.

I noted in our review of the first issue that nothing about this premise should work except as a sendup of bronze age comics. However, it completely works because everything about this hero is treated with 100% earnest sincerity.

The stakes are high. The villains are grounded and dangerous. Our hero attacks his mission with grit and determination. And for some reason I cannot explain, the hero using his sombrero shield with the deft effectiveness of Captain America makes me smile.

How does this work? Somebody, please explain to me how this works. I love it and I don’t know why.

Likewise, the art hits perfectly in the bronze age sweet spot. Gallego uses powerful, dramatic lines to render the characters and layers on strong, emotionally expressive faces. Every panel projects drama and energy to amplify the sincerity of the story.

You can see for yourself in our SEIS CUERDAS: DEFENDER OF MEXICO #2 preview.

What’s It About?

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

We begin with some backstory, thanks to our anonymous host of NarcoTruth.com. Martes “El Diablo” Romero, infamous drug lord, was arrested some months ago when his lieutenant, Daniel, tipped off the police in exchange for taking over Romero’s drug operation. If you’ve read our SEIS CUERDAS: DEFENDER OF MEXICO #1 review, you’d know Daniel is also the Santa Muerte cult leader who appeases his deity with human sacrifice, including children.

Meanwhile, Dantes aka Seis Cuerdas turns over the three children he rescued at the end of the last issue to the authorities. However, ten children are still missing, and Dantes is determined to find them.

Romero, now in prison and grotesquely scarred from a flamethrower mishap several years earlier, has maintained his boss status in prison by paying off every corrupt official in the prison system. Romero has the truck drivers, who were transporting the kidnapped children, brought to him to explain what Daniel is up to. It’s clear Romero wants payback for Daniel’s betrayal.

Seis Cuerdas begins pressuring his informants for information about the missing children. He soon learns the name of a street vendor who keeps her eyes and ears open to what’s going in her part of the city.

Briefly, we get a flashback to Dantes’ upbringing where we see he does have a sort of a superpower. Dantes was born without the need for sleep. It may seem this is not much of a power, but it’s a clever choice to show how a person can essentially maximize their human potential in learning skills and pursuing targets when they never need to stop for rest. Seis Cuerdas is a living perpetual motion machine.

Seis Cuerdas pays the well-informed (and beautiful) street vendor a visit to find Daniel’s hideout. She doesn’t know much about the Santa Muerte cult, but before Seis Cuerdas leaves, dejected, an explosion rocks a nearby building.

Romero sent his mean to kill Daniel and eradicate the Sanata Muerte cult. We conclude the issue with Seis Cuerdas leaping right into the crossfire.

How Does It End?

Seis Cuerdas wishes his sombrero would come back to him like a boomerang… and it does! Seis Cuerdas is unknowingly getting more streaming views than the top Twitch streamer. Santa Muerte may get one more sacrifice.

Final Thoughts

SEIS CUERDAS: DEFENDER OF MEXICO #2 packs a dramatic and powerful punch with both art and storytelling. The beauty of the bronze age style art is matched only by the sincere grittiness of the story.

Score: 9.5/10