3 out of 5

Well this is a substantial improvement over the first volume.

All of the pros still remain: that it’s a well produced hardcover; that Ivanka Hahenberger’s translation could pass for an English-first version; that Silas’ comedic timing is still pretty spot-on, regardless of how humorous one may find the content.  But elevating this way above the first set is that it’s just not trying so hard to live up to its eight-year-old-killer aspirations anymore, allowing Norman to settle into becoming just another character amongst a group of fully disfunctional characters, having the plot instead by driven by the situation and not the one-trick-pony of that aspiration.  The distinction may be subtle, but it allows for a smoother read, as it no longer feels like we’re thrust upon a lead without any context; instead, we can just be observers.  There’s still a bit of herky-jerk to the story – book one had its (without spoiling too much, perhaps) mad scientist shtick, and book two has its werewolf shtick, and in both cases these are not exactly organic outgrowths of anything else, they’re just ideas thrown against the wall and then why not, let’s go on with the comic.  But again book two comes out ahead as the premise isn’t played as a mystery – just to underline book one’s flaw again, it’s hard to care much about what’s behind door number one when you haven’t been give reason to care about what’s in front of it – more as inevitable foible.  Worst Teacher Ever Miss Jameson takes her class to a lumberjack festival, and when they arrive to the town where it’s hosted (driven in a nigh-prison van by Jameson’s bartender…), all of the inhabitants are missing, and maybe there’s blood everywhere.  Norman gets his jollies by trying to encourage various people into death-likely scenarios, and stripped of the hide-the-knife premise of book one, Silas can go to town with silly ideas, including a dead baby as a rocket, which I’ll give him all due credit for its ridiculousness.

The volume still doesn’t amount to much more than distraction, but I didn’t hate myself while reading it this time, and was able to actually appreciate the creative additions to the story instead of despite the story.  I don’t think I’m interested enough to continue with the following volumes, though given the improvements from volume one to here, I can see how this cast could grow on ya’, and having knocked down one of the hardest parts of visual comedy – the timing – Silas certainly plenty of opportunity to keep making subsequent entries stronger and stronger.