Torsobear Vol. 2: All Stitched Up

Though Volume 1 of Torsobear is just as gritty, shocking and violent, that magic was just absent from this follow-up.

The town of Toyburg is still reeling from the Torsobear murders. Detective Ruxby Bear has just nabbed a copycat killer. Only the facts and the evidence just doesn't add up. Unfortunately, he'll not be able to continue he's investigation, as Dectective Ruxby has been arrested for a crime he did not commit.

Now incarcerated in the roughest prison in the land, Ruxby is behind bars with many of the felons and cons that he put there. Constantly having to watch his back, Ruxby tries to solve both his framing and the copycat killings from his jail cell. But when the copycat killer sneaks into his cell, Ruxby now has to face the fact that the mastermind behind all of this is in the penitentiary with him.

Meanwhile on the outside, Ruxby's old partner, Officer Hazbrow, is now the chief of police. He too wants to help his old friend exonerate himself. However, the mayor of Toyburg has forbidden the TBPD continue with the investigation, declaring the Torsobear murders and copycat killings closed. But when the son of an old police mentor of Hazbrow comes asking for help finding his old man, Hazbrow begins an undercover sting that could send not just Toyburg but the entire region of play-lands into civil war.

I love the varying artwork. It's great seeing bad boy versions of your favorite toys. Every page is a feast for the eyes. If you love Easter eggs, be sure to bring your basket with you when reading this book.

Volume 2 is also told in anthology form. The backstories of several of the inmates and prison guards is more interesting than Ruxby's time in jail. To be honest, the hero doesn't belong in prison. He needs to be on the mean streets of Toyburg solving crimes. Hazbrow's story is interesting but that's because the law man is in his element. This volume sets up the Volume 3 finale. Unlike with the first volume, I won't be waiting a year and a half for that book. I just hope the ending returns to that level of wonder that Volume 2 was missing.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.