XenoGeist #2 is a comic written by Scott Wilke with illustrations by Cari Salviejo and colors by CF Lum. Izzy navigates being on thin ice while searching for those responsible for the deaths of her fellow agents. This is a futuristic science fiction cyberpunk comic that is centered around a mysterious entity and that features strong violence, erotic scenes, and cop-style drama. The leading lady here is Izzy Monet, she is a Cybernetic Law Enforcement Authority agent who has a reputation for being a loose cannon. She can be very determined and she isn’t afraid to ignore protocol and orders to get to the bottom of her cases. Her immediate superior is Captain Javier Marquez, he is becoming more and more annoyed with Izzy’s antics. This story begins with Captain Marquez debriefing Izzy on the events that transpired when her coworkers lost their lives. Izzy is notified in the middle of an argument that she has two strikes due to her reckless actions and her augments are at risk of being disabled. This takes place in a futuristic world where robotic enhancements for humans are very common and just about everything is shiny and high tech. The action shown here is destructive with hard-hits, some blood, and no gore. This moves at a steady pace with a number of low-word, speedier sections. This has the tone of a futuristic cyberpunk mystery starring law enforcement. Though there is some pervasive drama most of the intensity is from the violence and intimacy. The dialogue here is very conversational with constant back-and-forth and cop talk. There aren’t any word-heavy pages. This is an intriguing sequel issue that is calmer than what came before but it moves the story forward with violence, investigations, and a shocking discovery.

            The art here is drawn in a smoothly detailed modern style with a focus on lighting. The color palette is predominantly silver/gray, blue, and black with splashes of green whenever Izzy is present. There isn’t any natural scenery here as this takes place in a high-tech, futuristic, somewhat dense city. Izzy’s will visit a number of locations from the CLEA headquarters to some homes and VR places; she gets around using the train and her bike. Backgrounds usually show the actual surroundings which helps showcase the cold, high-tech, clean environment of this city. The expression level here is low due to the fact that Izzy doesn’t really show her emotions. We will see some angry, shocked, and sensual looks. Faces have an above-average amount of detail and tend to show the different expressions clearly. When the high-tech weapons and abilities are used they tend to be bright and glow; Izzy’s are neon green. The violence is bloody with some brutal attacks but there isn’t any gore or gruesomeness. The main action scene is lengthy with a high panel count, smooth flow, and a changing perspective that can impact to specific moments. Izzy’s “uniform” is basically just a sports bra and booty shorts.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes, if this is up your alley.

“Would I like this?”

If you like futuristic science fiction cyberpunk stories that star a woman in law enforcement who is attempting to solve a case that hits close to home and that features strong violence, erotic moments and some cop drama then this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

NC-17. Violence, blood, nudity, sexual scenes.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“I had a lead and I needed to pursue it.”

 

Physical Link: https://badbugmidnight.com/products/xenogeist-2-cover-a-cari-salviejo-variant?variant=46852009558237

Digital Link: https://badbugmidnight.com/products/xenogeist-2-digital?variant=46852013359325

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/badbugmedia/xenogeist-2/description

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 30

Violent Pages: 7, for 23% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 6, for 20% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 3

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 2

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 2

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 5

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”