How long can Winick go with conversation between interesting towns people and absolutely no story? For 95% of the issue. And he and artist Shaw waste an entire page with the dragon killing a cow. Not sure why it’s a good splash, unless Shaw really wanted to draw a dying cow.
There’s not a lot with the characters from last issue. Winick reduces them to stereotypes–black guy, drunk guy, art girl, crazy guy–but there’s a whole thing with the sheriff’s kids blowing stuff up. Like they’re training to be terrorists or something. I’m sure it’ll come in handy later for fighting dragons.
Unfortunately, the new characters are all weaker than the previously established characters. And Winick rushes the introduction of the dragon. It’s a little unclear if Winick is trying to sell a movie or a TV show, because it’s not a comic, which is really too bad.
C+
CREDITS
You Can’t Fight a Monster; writer, Judd Winick; penciller, Geoff Shaw; colorist, Jamie Grant; letterer, Sean Konot; editors, Greg Tumbarello and Bob Schreck; publisher, Legendary Comics.
A Town Called Dragon would be a whole lot better with a different artist. Or maybe even if Legendary were willing to get a good inker for Geoff Shaw's competent but unimaginative pencils. Or not, actually. His composition is humorless, which works better for the flashbacks to Vikings fighting dragons but fails during writer Judd Winick's frequent comedy exchanges.