Keenspot; $5.99  

Spaz, Mikey, and Rich are three preteen best friends that were introduced in Mark Spears Monsters. The boys were chased by a werewolf and sought safety on a water tower when the Golden Man appeared. At first, the comic book-loving boys that that he was a superhero – but that opinion quickly changed when the Golden Man grabbed Spaz and dropped him to his death.  

In Midknight Man #1, Igor stole Spaz's brain from the morgue and took it the facility where the Golden Man was constructed, revealing that he is not a man, but a machine. There, a different being made with artificial intelligence agrees to put the brain inside one of the machines so that Igor will have a companion and protector. At first, it does not seem to work… until Midknight Man awakens with fragments of Spaz's memories.  

The second issue picks up with Mikey and Rich grieving for their friend and lamenting the fact that no one would believe what actually happened to them. Midknight Man has broken out of the facility and is soon attacked by an armored assailant.  

This issue written by Mark and Lucas Spears goes back and forth between the kids who are mourning, and their reanimated friend beating the heck out of his attacker. The drastic transitions enhance the impact of each story thread and drive the issue toward a foreboding hook at the end.  

As always, Spears art looks awesome, especially the rich color choices that practically glow in nighttime scenes. My only complaint is that Spears pokes fun at the criticism about his work. This is at least the third issue across the Monsters line where he's done that. Once is funny, three times gets to be distracting. Hopefully, that won't continue. Otherwise, Midknight Man is off to a good start. 

–Amanda Sheriff