By Dustin Cabeal

Skuds McKinley’s shared story universe continues in issue two of Red-Eye Comics. You may recall my review for the first issue was glowing and there’s much of the same praise for this issue. I'm a huge mark for McKinley’s work and so getting to read more (and in advance) is a treat for me.

This story is pretty simple in its construction, but it’s the execution that made it enjoyable. Let’s be honest, there’s nothing new under the sun as they say, so it’s not a big deal to me too when I see a familiar story. It’s a big deal when it does nothing new and treads the same path that other have done before. You can read a few of my other reviews today to get what I mean by that. “Fight Nights in Kowloon” offers something new to the old fighter story. The fact that it’s the future helps, but then there’s the twist to the story that I won’t spoil for you. That twist changes everything you read before it because it reveals more about the character than all of his narration before that moment.

Not that the narration is bad. In fact, it’s some of McKinley’s best. If anything I would say the only weak part of the comic is how it goes back to the first issue to tie the two issues together. This small segment doesn’t tie into the main character of issue two’s story, but it interacts with the same world. It’s not bad; it’s just a bit shoehorned. I liked what it brought to the world, though, so I don’t dislike it. It made me excited for the third issue.

The artwork shows McKinley’s depth as an artist. He’s growing with each project which is just a wonderful thing to witness. Red-Eye Comics #2 looks different in style and coloring that the first issue, but in a good way. It makes the two standalone stories distinct, but they’re still connected by the distinct aspects that are McKinley’s style. It was also a bit more traditional in its layout. I continue to enjoy McKinley’s style and look forward to seeing what he’ll try with the art next.

I’ll admit that I have no idea where or when you can get this comic. You should probably follow Skuds McKinley on twitter and ask him. If you’re a fan of his work, don’t miss this issue and if you just dig indie comics, but really fucking good indie comics, then check out Red-Eye Comics #2.

Score: 4/5

Red-Eye Comics #2 – Fight Nights in Kowloon
Creator: Skuds McKinley
Publisher: Red-Eye Comics