Perfect 10 issue #2 is the second installment of the Perfect 10 series. While both issues 1 and 2 have been crowdfunded on Indiegogo in the last year and a half, Genuine Comics is not new to the indie scene, nor the crowdfunding scene, as they have previous titles that were funded via Kickstarter. Inspired by Image, Genuine Comics started out as a group of young students trying their way at making comics in The Netherlands. When the students’ priorities changed, Genuine Comics went into hibernation only to be resurrected in 2015 when one of those students, Dave Brink, created his first international title, Earthling. Several books later and a successful crowdfunding of Perfect 10 issue one, we have Perfect 10 issue 2.

I backed the “Triple Digital” tier on Indiegogo. This tier was strictly digital and came with issue #1, issue #2 and a new anthology book titled Powertrip, which included three short stories. Despite only receiving the digital version, I plan to keep with the same review format, so some of the usual details will be missing. If you have received the physical copy, please chime in the comment section below to share those opinions with myself and others.

The criteria are as follows:

• Book Content and Quality

• Communication and Fulfilment

• Packaging and Shipping

• Stretch Goals and Bonuses

Is Perfect 10 as good as its name suggests? Read on to find out.

Book Quality and Content

Perfect 10 issue 2, like issue 1, was written by its creator David Brink, penciled and inked by Pow Rodix, and colored by Daniel Rodrigues. They are joined on this issue by letterer Joel Saavedra. It is a 35-page book that has 6 pages of extra content, mostly featuring pinups of the main heroine, Ten, from various artists. The continuing story arc is an action adventure about a young woman named Ten who is discovering things about herself, others like her, and why a group of superpowered “metanormals” are after her.

Issue 2 starts where the first book left off: following the escape from the secret facility. We learn a little more about Ten, Dr. Pratt, Max, and are introduced to some new characters, John and Calamity. The world is expanded and some interpersonal relationships are introduced before the heroes are forced into action – there are innocent people to protect and Ten has fallen into a trap!

Overall, little happens in the story as not much time passes, but this issue is further establishing the world of the characters and needed backstory for the events of the future. I am unsure as to how many installments there will be, but two books in and I am becoming vested in these characters (even ones that were just introduced) and I am looking forward to learning what comes next.

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The story building, writing, and the dynamics between the characters are strong suits of this comic. The only thing that I think it does even better, is character development. There are a lot of major and ‘minor’ characters that we see in the book, but they are all designed in unique ways where you can easily tell who is who. Patterns, shapes, colors and gear all add to the characters in ways that makes them interesting and discernible when they are in battle, which is not always an easy feat to do.

The colors and art in the book, on top of the characters, are beautiful. The color palette used are pleasing to the eye; it is bright and attractive. The lines and the colors work well with the layouts to make a beautiful presentation. The panels vary by size and shape with some of the art not being constrained by a panel. This adds to the depth of the art and the story. The art not being limited by panels is a favorite trick of mine that enhances the visual part of the visual media.

Grade: A-

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Communication and Fulfillment

In looking back at the updates made to the Indiegogo campaign, they were relatively frequent, professionally written and included pertinent information. There were barely two weeks in between a couple of the updates; with some updates following only a couple days later. Brink relayed when goals were met, when stretch goals were added, when stretch goal items were received in hand (with pictures), written progress updates, as well as news when an artist needed to be switched on the “American Bliss” story (part of Powertrip). He shared appreciation to the backers and excitement of the process.

The one thing that I noticed not included was a showing of completed pages for Perfect 10 issue 2. While it did not hinder the updates, as they really were well done, it would have been nice to see a page or two shown off. There was one page of “American Bliss” that was shared when Brink announced the new artist for this story, which was Pow Rodix, the current artist for Perfect 10 issue 2. In two of the updates, it showed the line art and the colors of the same page, despite this being a primary campaign for Perfect 10.

I backed in the last few days of the active campaign on April 27^th, and the campaign closed May 1^st, 2021. At closing, it raised over $14,455 and had 221 backers. I received the digital files of issue 1 and issue 2 on May 14; just two weeks after the campaign closed. The digital files were sent to all the backers before the print files were even sent to the printer. While this fulfillment was announced a head of time via an update, I was still surprised by how quickly I received it.  As a digital backer, I was extremely pleased with this turnaround time. However, since this was my first digital backing, it struck me as odd, and I asked friends as to whether this was the norm. Let us just say that digital backing is not popular among those that I asked. I read both issues before the weekend was out and all in one morning.

The campaign is still in demand on Indiegogo, and communication is still going with updates regarding the completion and fulfillment of the digital version of Powertrip (issues 1 and 2 of Perfect 10 were sent out separately), updates for the physical copies going to the printer, and the fact that he can always be reached for questions or feedback, which I thought was a nice touch.

There is little, in my mind, to fault with the communications and fulfillment aspect of this campaign.

Grade: A-

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Packaging and Shipping

As I have stated before, I only packed the digital version of this book. I do not have insight into the packaging and shipping of the book. If you are a physical backer, your response regarding what you think when you receive it are welcome in the comments below!

Grade: N/A

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Stretch Goals and Bonuses

Due to backing the digital tier, I did not receive any physical perks of the campaign. However, there were art prints, chibi stickers of the characters, a standee of the main character and even an art book of character pinups from Genuine Comics available.

One thing that did catch my eye on the campaign, and I am not sure if this has been done before, but they teamed with another book that launched around the same time, The Embrace written by Michael Oden. If a backer were to back both books, they could reach out with their backer numbers to receive a crossover pinup done by artist Russ Leach of Only Death Can Save Us (which we reviewed here!). This deal was only available during the 60 days of being live; which I thought was a unique way to help cross promote.

Grade: N/A

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I did not know much about the writer, the artist or anyone else that was involved in Perfect 10 prior to backing the project. However, because the art looked good, and the premise of the story sounded like something that I would enjoy, I backed the campaign at the digital level. The trailer did a decent job letting me know what it was about and ignited my curiosity. I did not want to miss out on it, but also did not want to invest a lot of money. I did not need the physical copy for posterity, I just wanted the entertainment; and this delivered.

I have referred to Perfect 10 as the type of book that I would expect a comic to be. It is well-rounded, flows well, and gets the reader involved. The art and writing work together to help make a great experience. It is also an ALL AGES read. If my 8-year-old was interested in reading it, I would not have a problem with her doing so.

While it may not be a “perfect 10”, I will back issue #3 as I am interested in seeing what comes next. The downside to this, and crowdfunding in general, is that I will need to wait longer to get to issue #3 than I would prefer. But I do know that once I back it, the wait will not be long until I at least receive the digital copy.

Overall Grade: A-

Thanks for reading!

You can check out the Perfect Ten issue 2 in-demand page here.

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