In this review of Dead Teenagers #2, the gang explores the most terrifying scenario of them all: adulthood. Also, we finally get to meet Morgan.
Dead Teenagers #2
Writer: Jude Ellison S. Doyle
Artist: Caitlin Yarsky
Main Cover: Naomi Franquiz
Variant Covers: Keyla Valerio, Caitlin Yarsky
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: April 15, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Prom night 1997, with scenario #5334, wherein the school’s been taken over by Nazis. Nazis that’ve joined forces with Communists. As Ryder prepares for his 5334th heroic sacrifice, he and Alicia discuss both the sheer absurdity of the situation. He says he doesn’t mind dying, at this point…but he does wish it meant a bit more. Either way, he jumps into the fray.
Cut to adulthood, where Ryder’s trying to piece together just what in the hell happened between then and ‘97. He’s a bit surprised that he’s married to Brandy, and wonders what happened to Alicia as he speaks with JT. Before he can get an answer from her, though, Brandy insists that he turn on the TV.
On a talk show, we see Morgan. Morgan announces that she’s done hiding, and wants to be a role model to other trans folks. Brandy and Ryder, aside from realizing that a high school friend of theirs is famous, also learn that they have a kid.
After JT calls back, she leads Brandy and Ryder to Alicia’s grave. They all realize that the loop didn’t reset this time.
Brandy calls Morgan to see if she remembers anything about growing up…she doesn’t, but figures she had to be good at the acting thing, at any rate. At that point, Brandy invites herself and the others over to hide out.
But Ryder, after a talk with JT about it being more impressive to live for someone than to die for them, decides he’ll stay back to try his hand at fatherhood.
A knock comes at the door as he settles in, and he answers, only to be knocked out. He comes to in his car, finds a bunch of Poloroids and a message of “Do you want to keep going?” scrawled on the wall in blood, and hurries to warn the others—only to be met with a strategically-placed wire and his death.
So, after reading Dead Teenagers #2, I looked back through the first installment to see if I’d missed something with JT. I didn’t see the mention of a pronoun in her case that time around, though there were two aspects that could have been clues. With her and Morgan’s relationship (taken from Alicia’s narration), I figured there was something of a queer nature happening. And then years later, it turns out that Morgan hasn’t just been hiding for her life from the various dangerous scenarios, but she’s been closeted for a while, coming out sometime in those decades between the late 90s and adulthood.
It may have just been jealousy on Ryder’s part at the beginning, but he’s pretty sure Alicia would rather be with JT. They do seem close, but she’d also seemed close to Ryder, as well, making me wonder if she was either lesbian or bi. Brandy and Ryder, for their part, seem to be straight, but don’t seem too thrown off by Morgan. No, Brandy’s response to her in general? Excitement that they know someone famous.
Of course, Morgan’s reaction to Brandy’s phone call makes me wonder a lot about their relationship in high school, during the whole “gay as the ultimate punchline” era. Makes me wonder how long Morgan knew about herself, and how much she’d have put up with back when she was keeping up that male facade. That expression when the call came in, with a very well-illustrated eye roll that truly conveys how utterly exhausting this is going to be. Followed by the annoyed expressions when Brandy takes the “You should see my place” way more literally than intended.
Also, there’s something immensely horrifying about the concept of waking up one day and realizing that the only things they know about getting married are who they’re married to and the fact that it’d happened. But the fact that Ryder and Brandy had had a child together and not known it? Brought an entire freaking life into this world that they never anticipated reaching, themselves, without any memory of any part of the process at all? That’s honestly sort of terrifying to think about.
Not sure what’s worse to think about: the decades of uncertainty, or the fact that they’re still not free of the loops. The loop in Dead Teenagers #2 may be different from all the others in that the perennial Final Girl was the first to die. But Ryder had only intended to help the others by warning them. He hadn’t gone into a full-blown heroic sacrifice, which would have implied knowledge of what was awaiting. So, that’s another sign that this won’t be like all the other loops. This one might be the final one, but the message of “Do you want to keep going?” could point to either there being another scenario after this, or it could be an outright taunt with the knowledge that it’s the last one.
What stands out to me most about Ryder’s fate, though? We don’t see who showed up at his door, but he clearly recognized them. And up until he got knocked out, he also apparently trusted them. I’m pretty sure it’s whoever was in the robe, probably without the robe that time, but it’s still not clear who, exactly, it is. Makes me eager to read on.
Final Thoughts
Definitely pick up Dead Teenagers #2 if you’re up for some alternate reality fun, a bit of queer rep, and a splash of existential horror. I’d say Dead Teenagers has a bit of something for everyone. The expressions are spot-on for this installment, we’ve got some interesting queer representation going on, and the story’s just getting more and more intriguing.
