With this second issue, Hamilton has finally managed to introduce a little humor to offset the seriousness of the first issue. The first issue of Super Pimps was plagued by its tendency to take itself too seriously. The simple fact is that with a title like “The Return of the Super Pimps” there’s a limit to how seriously things in this early stages of this series can be allowed to get. The reader needs time to exorcise their old views of the word “pimp” and replace it with Hamilton’s vision. The first issue was so straight-faced that it lagged and the reader was forced to endure rather than enjoy. Now there are a few moments of hilarity to keep the reader entertained and, therefore, allow them to navigate the more serious moments and learn to like this new team of platform-shoed heroes.

On pencils, Carpintero manages good, solid storytelling. Stylistically, Carpintero favors high-drama, tilted angles, and a relatively-minimalist style. Despite the occasional “hiccups” in visual layout, Super Pimps is a pretty smooth, well-managed experience. Carpeintero’s strength is his ability to populate a panel with multiple figures without losing detail or energy. Conversely, Carpintero’s weakness is that he has a tendency to recreate panels. The image of one character grimacing on page two looks identical to the grimace on page six which looks identical to the grimace on page eight and so on. Still, his work is solid.

Overall: 3 on 5. A series building steam.