This is the second collection of short stories in the Villains’ Code universe. Like Villain’s Vignettes: Volume 1, you get three new stories that focus on three different characters. However, while the previous collection of short stories felt like it genuinely grew and expanded the universe, this one felt more like a minor addition.
The three stories are as follows (very minor spoilers ahead):
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Apollo is released from prison, essentially on parole, with strict limits on his ability to use powers, and he moves back to the small town where he grew up. It’s a moderately interesting story that introduces some new characters, gives us a slightly deeper look at characters from before, and then has a twist that relies on some new powers that feel both remarkably original and creepy.
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A continuation of one of the short stories from Villain’s Vignettes: Volume 1, where Ivan is pulled into another universe to fight monsters in a medieval setting. The first entry in this storyline felt uniquely new and interesting, and the fun characters are back in this second entry, but the story moves forward only a little bit, and suddenly ends just as things start to get interesting.
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Ivan’s son Rick goes off to a summer camp for kids with superpowers, when an army of monsters attacks. This was the weakest story of the bunch, feeling more like an extended action scene than a story.
Overall, the short stories are entertaining while you’re reading them, but mostly forgettable when you’re done.
