It's easy to try and simply describe Frank Gibson and Becky Dreistadt's "Capture Creatures" #2 as cute, because there's certainly a lot of that on display. But as the story starts to build and we start to meet more of the capture creatures themselves, it's nice to see that this comic is starting to really go places.

Gibson's story is spooling out nicely; we get to see what's on the mysterious island, and the theory from the previous issue that Bon Bon Fire came from there is bearing some fruit. More importantly, Tamzen and Jory are showing a good deal of competence and intelligence as they deal with the big events that roar up around them, with everything from the destruction of the boat to the revelation that not all of the capture creatures are cute and little like Bon Bon Fire.

It doesn't hurt that Dreistadt's pencils are soft and adorable. Bon Bon Fire making faces at some of the other island creatures makes me want to own a Bon Bon Fire (or at least a non-flammable red panda), and the little cap on the head of the Axipoddle is the proverbial cherry on the ice cream sundae of awesomeness. There's no denying that the character designs of "Capture Creatures" is a big draw, with everything from flaming heads to monstrous fish so large their appendages are mistaken for massive rocks. Even something as simple and silly as a mobile log grabs your attention even as it plays up the hilarity of a pratfall.

It's also nice to see that Gibson and Dreistadt aren't afraid to let their characters slowly grow. Jory being a little less shellshocked and gobsmacked by everything is good, but the real winner here is Teddy. After being the butt of a bunch of jokes in the first issue, it looked at first like that would continue as he freaked out over Bon Bon Fire's little head flame. When the Axipoddle is in danger, though, seeing Teddy step up to the foreground is a great moment; it reminds us that he can be competent and heroic, and that he's more than just a punching bag for Gibson and Dreistadt. If nothing else, it makes his comedic turns more amusing, because we know he's capable of succeeding from time to time.

"Capture Creatures" #2 is a fun little book; there's still a lot of story to be revealed, and of course a lot of creatures to learn about. For now, though, this issue has firmly locked me in as a reader of the series. I'll be back in 2015 to see the adventure continue.