Chopping Block Review: Happy! #2

Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artist: Darick Robertson

Publisher: Image Comics

Website: www.imagecomics.com

In the first issue of the odd yet fascinating world of Happy!, we saw one time cop now turned hit man Nick Sax in the worst situation. Having been shot after a hit gone wrong, he was in a mob hospital with no chance of surviving, and to top it all off, he started seeing a tiny, blue horse named Happy… yes, it was literally rock bottom. So how does the second issue hold up? Well, if the creepy Santa Clause on the cover is any indication, we are in for another off the wall ride.

Grant Morrison writes an off beat, engaging book that is full of surprises at every turn. Nick, with the help of his new friend Happy the Horse, must escape the hospital before he is tortured to death. On top of that, we see how useful a little blue, imaginary-like horse can be in the middle of a poker game, and we see what can possibly be the creepiest Santa Clause ever seen. Yet, Happy still has his mission: to save Nick’s daughter, but will Nick believe this fantastical creature and listen?

Robertson once again knocks it out of the part with his artwork, as he is made for drawing books with sheer violence. The hospital scene is right up his alley, but it was the last page that really stuck with me. This creepy, off setting Christmas story has me puzzled on what will happen next, exactly what a book should do. Happy! continues to impress, as we push towards the climax, which I would imagine involves Nick, old St. Nick and a few bullets. Highly recommended, I give Happy! #2 a @@@@ out of FIVE.