About Sweet Heart #2
Sweet Heart #2 was written by Dillon Gilbertson. The artwork is done by Francesco Iaquinta and Marco Pagnotta. The lettering is by Saida Temofonte. Sweet Heart is edited by Nicole D’Andria and published by Action Lab Comics.
Eight years after Maddie’s first contact with the monsters, we see her attending her first day at a new school. Maddie quickly finds out how school children, teachers, and administrators treat the monsters in their town, as well as those who are tagged by them.
Sweet Heart #2 Review
In Sweet Heart #2 we start off with a flash forward. We see kids learning about the monsters on the first day of school. I thought this was an interesting detail of the series. The monsters are so prominent that they have shaped that way society works.
I love the character design for the Bruisers. I think it really plays into the series’ metaphor for diabetes. Even the people in town treat the Bruisers similar to how we treat Type 2 diabetes.
This issue also puts a bit of a spotlight on school bullying. Childhood bullies will often target people with medical conditions or anything that makes them different from others. However, bullies typically lash out due to their own insecurities. Sweet Heart does a great job at showing this dynamic.
We also see the effects of how adults treat children and people with chronic illness. There is a very powerful scene between Maddie and the principal that I won’t spoil here.
Even though this issue wasn’t action-packed as you would expect in a horror comic, this is one of my favorite issues of Sweet Heart. You can’t care about characters in a story until you bond with them over their life and the people in it. This issue does just that.
Maddie’s family life is where this issue really shines. These monsters affect every aspect of their lives, past, present, and future. This creates an interesting dynamic between the three generations of women in her family. Everyone has their own way of dealing with the monsters, some safer than others. It is difficult to handle watching your loved ones be careless with their health.
Sweet Heart #1 did an excellent job of explaining the monsters. In Sweet Heart #2, we learn about our protagonist and begin to care about her. I can’t wait to see what Sweet Heart #3 has in store! Judging by the cover it looks like we are seeing Maddie grow up!
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