Curse Words, Vol. 2: Explosiontown

Curse Words #6-10.5

by Charles Soule, Ryan Browne (Illustrator)

The world has realized that dark wizards fighting epic battles in the skies above our cities might actually be a bad thing, and Earth's leaders have finally agreed on one thing: they want Wizord and Margaret gone. Meanwhile, the evil Sizzajee is still gunning for them, and Wizord's ex, the lovely Ruby Stitch, is striking out on her own path. Forget it, Jake... it's Explosiontown.

The second chapter of the dark, funny fantasy that's captured imaginations across the land, and refuses to let them go. From CHARLES SOULE (Daredevil, Darth Vader) and RYAN BROWNE (God Hates Astronauts).

Collects issues 6 through 10, plus the Curse Words Holiday Special.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Ebooks

146 pages, ebook

First published January 10, 2018

About the author

Charles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.

Reviews

[ScottIsANerd (GrilledCheeseSamurai) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic is bonkers in all the right ways. There is so much ridiculous stuff happening and yet the plot keeps you interested and you can't help but laugh at all the weird shit.

I loved the employee picnic scene in Hole World...actually I just loved seeing more of Hole World explained a bit in this volume.

I also loved that we got more screen time with Ruby trying to figure out how to fit in on earth as well.

The real treat for me though were the colors. This is a bright comic...and in a world dominated by bleakness this one is always a treat to read through.

Also...Margaret the talking platypus continues to be a definite highlight!

Such a fun series.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is absolutely mental. The story is not as good as Vol 1. Still a fun read. The artwork and colours are awesome. We learn more about some back story and characters. Building something really well here.

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

The entire time I was reading this volume I was trying to thing of a way to describe the mood of this series because it's seriously phenomenal, and then it finally came to me: Wizord is exactly what would happen if Sterling Archer had magic. That's it that's all you need to know.

But seriously it is great how seemingly stupid this series is on the surface, and yet it does manage to put together a great plot and characters while still being absolutely hilarious the entire way through. My main problem with the first volume was that there was basically only one female character, I guess two if you count Margaret, which I do now but for a lot of volume 1 I wasn't really sure what was going on with her. This volume introduces a host of new bad guys [and girls!] and also Ruby Stitch gets quite a lot of page time as she tries to adjust to earth. I can't wait for more of this series!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still digging this a lot, and big Hints about where this story is headed contained in that dank Holiday Special! And even Jacques Zacque ageny of Interpol is given a richer, and tragic, backstory. Zut alors!



As beloved as Margaret the Koala/Eagle/Platyplus/To Be Determined may be, I'm pretty firmly #TeamRubyStitch at this point.

[CS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bullet Review:

Another fun entry in this totally nonserious world. You might start getting bored, but then you realize, Wizord might be getting his power back - at the expense of the world around him! And Jacques' reason to seek Wizord out might be deeper than being an a-hole.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first volume a little more humorous, and I sometimes had trouble a couple times knowing which panel to read next. But this series is great fun, and I’m looking forward to picking up volume three! Margaret is the best.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not as good as Vol 1, still bonkers in all the right ways. I really like how Soule is handling Ruby. That was good.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely felt like a Ruby Stitch spin off, I suppose that’s why she’s on the cover! It was a good volume. With a lot of focus on Ruby and her exploration into our world. This was good in the sense we get to see more of Ruby, who in the last volume was used very little, the downside is that Wizord is the character that drew you in with volume 1 and he doesn’t really get much progression, back story... or anything really interesting to do in this volume and I’d like them to have done a bit more with him than they did.

Personally I’m not a huge fan of Zaques Jaques (probably butchered the spelling) I can tell he’s there for a silly form of comic relief but it didn’t really land with me, and you can tell by the ending (no spoilers) he’s going to be given a bigger role going forward, so hopefully he’s not just a silly joke going in the next volume

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review is for the remainder of the series (vols 2-5)

It picks up speed after a confusing and muddled start, dips badly in the middle, but roars to a ridiculous conclusion. Just don't think about the inexplicably circular plot to hard and enjoy the ride.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry Potter for grown ups but much more fun and hilarity.

[Chaunceton Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

If acid and LSD aren't really your thing, but you're looking for a good time with plenty of vibrant colors, Curse Words is right for you.

[alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our protagonist appears to be revealing his questionable morality more and more in this second volume, his fun and quirky nature unfolding to be slightly more…wicked? malicious? chaos based?

There’s truly no good guy to this story, meaning the characters you’re rooting for will truly show who you are as a person. Are you reading for Wizord’s standout victory? Margaret’s quiet scheming? The USA’s military action vs some super villains?
Personally…I want to know more about party girl Ruby and the charge-ups she’s bound to discover in the underworld of the big city.
- and that’s on girl’s supporting girls (their rights and wrongs)

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Image comic right now that isn't Saga.

[Des Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curse Words is absolutely nuts. This book is so off-the-wall, but equally constructed with care. The world is complex, and obeys its own set of unique rules, all while featuring some of the most fun and bizarre imagery I've seen in a modern comic. This volume is in a little bit of an in-between place, but features some great stepping stones to what will assuredly be a delightfully bombastic endgame. Curse Words is hilarious and disturbing, yet still filled brim with intrigue and genuine suspense. Don't sleep on this!

[47Time · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story feels like it's targeted at 10-year-olds. It's not overly engaging and the dialogue is simply dumb. I gave it its second shot, but I should have stopped at the first volume. All this gnarlyness is making me puke.

Sizzajee gathers his remaining six wizards for a contest. The winner earns the right to hunt down Wizord and Ruby. The latter two are also being tracked by the secret services on Earth who view them as threats.

After foiling the secret services' plans to nuke him, Wizord makes a deal with the US president while recharging his and Ruby's magic. Unknowingly, they tap into a source of magic that is not renewable. Lady Violet betrays her lover Botchko and earns the right to hunt the rogue wizards down. She fails as Wizord gets the upper hand. And that's about all I can stand of this mess of a story.

[Jamie Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up the first volume for a fun, quick read and that’s just what it was. This second volume followed the firsts trail just the same and did not disappoint. Looking forward to the third one. I’ve also read the first volume of “Letter 44” and “Star Wars” and I must say, Charles Soule is really growing on me. By the way, did anyone notice that the POTUS in both those comic series is the same guy? 4 stars.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

In its first volume, Curse Words paired Ryan Browne's berserk art with an intriguing premise and amusing world-building from Charles Soule. Browne's art is still wild and frenetic. His art that practically pops and crackles off of the page is some of the best in modern comics. Unfortunately, Browne's talent is squandered in this volume that mainly just treads water. Though Soule did not make any story choices that wreck the comic entirely, the plot just moves too slowly and spends too much time on supporting characters. There's action, sure, but the stakes are low when the supporting characters are forgettable and the protagonist has become so overpowered. I'll stick around future volumes for Browne's art, but I hope Soule gets the series going in a more exciting direction again.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delivering all the mayhem, humor, and ridiculousness I expected after reading vol. 1, the continuation of "Curse Words" finds Wizord facing off against the enemies he left behind, a vengeful cast of characters hot on his tail, and the entire United States government.

Soule and the rest of the creative team embrace the bizarre to great effect, but vol. 2 deepens some of the darker undercurrents that make me further question what we really know about any of these characters.

It's a fun series that celebrates the absurd while still telling a seriously solid story. it's a romp of magic, mischief, and mayhem--and I look forward to seeing where Wizord's misadventures take him next.

[Arctic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, the story did not get any better from the first one. The art is phenomenal, it has an excellent use of color and has a few unique characters. I absolutely love how they incorporated stones into each character's essence and power.. However, this doesn't quite balance out the terrible writing. The story is absolutely terrible. The dialog is lower than basic and the story was basically the same line as the first one. I'd like to continue reading but they could do so much more with this than they are. I'd like to put some sort of stock in #3 but without a dramatic boost to the story and writing overall this series has run flat for me before it even became a true series.

[Brylliams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story arc in this one which would be four stars. I subtracted a star since I felt the story structure/editing was horrible. I didn't like the way that the pacing of the action was always intercut with other slower/boring story. It needed to finish one scene to a good conclusion before switching to the next POV. The individual story pacing was fine, but whoever decided to intercut the two or three stories kind of ruined the vibe when I was reading. Still going to keep reading. Hopefully, the pacing/editing isn't as bad in the next one.
The art is pretty excellent though. I love the way that Sizzajee looks.

[Rick Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Ryan Browne's artwork, but the storytelling is really underwhelming throughout. It just seems like Soule wanted to have random stuff happen and given Browne exciting things to draw. The pacing is laborious, the exposition feels heavy, and the characters are mostly quite annoying. I really think the verbose script is quite unnecessary when so much of the storytelling can be achieved with the dynamic artwork found here.

I probably would stop here, but I picked up three volumes from my local library so I might as well give another volume a shot before calling it quits on this series.

[Paul Allard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hole World pursue Wizord as does the USA government.

The powers of the Hole World and the US government all try to destroy Wizord while Ruby has to find other ways to live on Earth. There are dramatic battles and an ending which will bring in Volume 3.
This comic collection is quite original, reasonably well-illustrated (still too much colour for my liking) and interesting enough. There is obviously more to come. Worth a look but read Volume 1 first.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. The plot moved forward but I cared less about the goings on than the first volume. This is a bit of a sophomore slump for the creative team. I still want to see where things go, and the artwork is as vibrant as ever (can I get a ruby-encrusted sword, PLEASE?), but the writing is not as gripping as the first volume.

That said, I am now involved in the plot and plan to throw down for the next volume to see where this goes!

[Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume went into more of the background of the story, but it didn't grab me as much as the first volume. Ruby gets used to living in NYC. Wizord has to deal with the US Government, who wants him gone. Sizzajee holds a tournament in the Hole World to determine who he'll send to kill Wizord. Lady Violet wins, but when she comes to NYC, Wizord send her and Jacques Zacques back to the Hole World in a portal. There's also a fun Christmas meatmeet issue at the end.

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an odd book but I love it. Ruby Stitch begins to learn about the world around her while being narrated by Margaret, whom at this point is a platypus. Ryan Browne does a stellar job with the art and I break it down into saying I love the basic facial features of Margaret especially.

The story is really cool and we get to learn quite a bit about The Hole World. I cannot wait for Volume 3.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore the gonzo craziness of Chalrles Soule & Ryan Browne. The evil dread of the Hole World set up in Vol. 1 is thrown into sharper comic relief in this run, which kind of took the sharpness out of the bite. It could also be that I read God Hates Astronauts between the release of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 and the irreverence feels imported from that series.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wizord the wizard from the Hole World wants freedom from the mystical overlord in the dimension he used to call home. Problem is, he's not a really nice person either; he's just very good at hiding it. Soule has a nice fantasy/comedy series goes here as Wizord lies to just about everybody and consistently makes things worse for other people without really trying.

[Stephen Theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ongoing adventures of an evil wizard who came to our world to chillax, and the ex-girlfriend who has followed him here. We also see more of the fantasy world they left behind. It's an interesting premise, but the snazzy panel layout couldn't be worse for reading onscreen. I got very fed up of reading panels in the wrong order.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book! We get to see more of Hole World this time, as their characters bicker and fight and do whatever. While back on Earth, the government is asking Wizord wtf is up with all his bullshit and he doesn't really have an answer other than "I'm Wizord, I do what I want". There are plenty of fun moments though they're not leaving as strong an impression on me as volume one.

[Melanie is on Storygraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is crazy. Just crazy. And super gross but also super cool. I love Margaret, I wish there was more if her in this one, but other than that it’s fabulous and weird and very entertaining. I’m immediately starting the next one to see WTH is going to happen next!