Death Note (2004)

[デスノート]

Volume 2

Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Jump Comics

Synopsis:
Light makes his move against the FBI agents in Japan working for L.

Story/Characters:
Light makes his first big master stroke after L showed him up, forcing L to come out of the shadows. We get properly introduced to L in this volume and he's quite the amusing odd duck. I like the dichotomy of him and Light. In a conventional story, someone like L would be the villain. You'd definitely expect the awkward, bare-footed recluse with sunken eyes to be a serial killer instead of the star pupil who looks like an idol singer.

While Light's father Souichirou was introduced in the previous volume, he really starts to shine here with his strict sense of honor and justice set against the more flexible L. Also, credit goes to Naomi Misora, the woman who came this close to ending the series on the second volume if Ohba hadn't had to make a desperate play to get out of the corner he'd written himself into.

Art:
The art continues to shine. The setup with Raye Penber and the climax of the encounter with Naomi stand out in particular. Also, I like all the care taken to L's mannerisms. And there's this adorable panel where he declares with a childlike smile that justice will prevail.

Conclusion:
This is a fine continuation of the story with good escalation on both sides of the chase. L gets further established here and now things really start to pick up. Chances are, if you're reading this, it's a no-brainer. Add it to your collection.

Rating:
Own It