Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: N/A
Written by: Warren Ellis
Penciled by: Amanda Connor
Inked by: Jimmy Palmiotti
Colored by: Paul Mounts
Lettered by: Ken Lopez
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn
Editor: Alex Sinclair
Publisher: Wildstorm > DC Comics
Two-Step is one of the craziest mainstream comics that I have ever read! If you loved Warren Ellis’ work on Transmetropolitan then Two-Step is for you! The featured character is Rosi, a chick that goes around merry-old-England and cams the interesting sights that she sees as a pay service. She’s not quite as deep a character as Spider Jerusalem from Transmet, but she’s got the same caustic bite that Spider did, and a generally similar outlook on the world. The book takes place in an alternate version of London, circa 2001, so it’s quite possible Rosi is his Great, Great, Great something or other.
The series has followed the odd pairing of Rosi with Tony, a suited gangster-type that looks like he fell out of a Tarantino film. The first issue showed Tony stealing a briefcase that belonged to a big-time crime lord named Reg Quarry. In typical Ellis fashion, it was the gangster’s special-order penis in the suitcase. So, the story has continued on from that point with the pair being pursued by the gangster’s men in hopes of getting him his new winky.
Things get really rough on our hero’s this month, as Rosi and Tony come face to face with previous said gangster as well as his number one enforcer, Ron. I must say that Ron is a truly original character…or something like that. He has a real hankering for physically loving things, people, anything…everything. Since he’s got vision problems he’s not always 100% clear on what he’s shagging, but his goal is to “bang†automobiles. Yes, you read that right. Do you think I’m so twisted that I’d make this stuff up?
In direct contrast to Ellis’ “ugly†words, is the beautiful artwork of Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti. The world is cartoony and pulsating with life. There’s a lot of ugliness in this world, but since this is just a screwball comedy, Connor and Palmiotti give things a tone befitting the comedic elements. I should also mention Paul Mounts, whose color palette really brightens the scene.
Transmet had its moments of utter insanity, hell it was always utter insanity, but as bizarre cast and depraved situations go, Ellis, has taken the bad taste a step further with Two-Step. Two-Step is childish, and as a whole, it’s not even close to Transmet, which I consider a classic, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun, and a pleasing piece of amusement.
Anyway, Ellis pulls this little story together with a fitting conclusion this month. It’s really nothing more than the sickest little love story you’ll ever read. There isn’t the deep stories or political messages of Transmetropolitan or any greater commentary. This is a guilty pleasure of epic proportions, but it is a lot of fun and worth the price of admission. Just don’t let your mother or a religious person read it. They probably won’t approve.
