By Zack Quaintance — Through two issues, Going to the Chapel has been a delight...which feels like an odd thing to write about a comic that’s so heavily predicated on a hostage situation, complete with rubber Elvis masks and shotguns. But this has been a romp of a comic, one that uses a Quintin Tarantino-esque setup to probe the scary (and mildly absurd) feeling of going through a wedding ceremony. There are plenty of jokes in this book, and it’s a breezy read to be sure, but look a little closer—Going to the Chapel is actually a hilarious dive into relationship dynamics, from feeling like you’ve met the one to the baggage we carry with us from past break-ups.

Going to the Chapel #2 builds on all of these themes, which were deftly established in entertaining fashion in the debut issue. It also plunges the proceedings deeper into the realm of the absurd. The premise of this book is that a bride (who is having doubts) is taken hostage by her ex-lover. Last issue, all we knew about the guy was that his name was Tom, he’d almost gotten married long ago, and he was apparently the leader of what he called “The Bad Elvis Gang.” This issue, we learn that he was the one who broke up with her...five years ago...in Rio de Janeiro...via text. This isn’t just a relationship drama — this is dysfunction of the highest order. It’s a great choice made for a story whose premise is rooted in the absurd to begin with, and it works really well here in chapter two. 

I was also struck while reading this issue with how well done the artwork was. It was strong in the debut, and it’s strong again here, with the team of artist Gavin Guidry and colorist Liz Kramer deploying a clean and fast-moving aesthetic that perfectly fits our story’s tone. They are also to match jokes in the script from writer David Pepose (who through two volumes of Spencer and Locke, a darker take on Calvin and Hobbes as well as newspaper comics in general, has shown himself to be a wit of the highest order) with visual gags of their own, panels in which characters look appalled at antics or make air quotes while winking. It’s really solid stuff.

What I liked most about Going to the Chapel #2, however, was the excellent pacing. This is a book with an uncanny understanding of when to up the ante to keep the action moving along, and it does so with fittingly-reckless abandon. 

Overall: Going to the Chapel #2 continues what is proving to be a hilarious romp of a comic, one that fearlessly ups the ante and finds a sweet spot between absurd and dysfunctional for its characters.  9.0/10

Going to the Chapel #2
Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Gavin Guidry
Colorist: Liz Kramer
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Publisher: Action Lab
Price: $3.99

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.