The Keanu Reeves-headlined John Wick surprised action movie fans the world over in 2014, offering a compelling story about a man seeking revenge for his dog's death in the secret underworld of assassins and killers-for-hire. A sequel was rumored shortly after John Wick hit theaters, then eventually greenlit and it now about to hit theaters the world over, building upon and expanding some of the unique mythology that endeared fans so quickly to the first installment.

In its preparation to become the next great action franchise, John Wick 2 has gotten new posters that feature John front and center, along with some of the film's other main characters. While there is little to be gleaned about the specific plot of John Wick 2 from these new posters, they do reaffirm that the pulpy tone and ambiguous-morality set up in the first movie, will remain strong in the John Wick sequel.

The posters were drawn by two different artists, including comic industry legend Jock (Green Arrow Year One) - who presents the audience with an image for the eponymous John Wick, poised to jump into action. Tattoo artist master Noah Minuskin is responsible for the more classic movie design of the second poster, with Wick's new dog prominently displayed alongside his master. Check out both one-sheets (courtesy of Nerdist), below:

There is a very deliberate use of the color red in Jock's poster design that appears otherwise messy and emotional. Of the two, his art evokes the emotional state of the protagonist in John Wick 2 that may still be carry over from the death of both his wife and his dog, or more directly tied to what is coming up. Of course, the red in the background would seem to signify the aftermath of a conflict that John has won. By contrast, Minuskin's poster is all clean lines and seems to play host to a variety of Easter Eggs that will be made clear after viewers have seen the new movie - he's going to Rome! There are definite tattooing influences in the second poster, the most prominent being the ribboned script. Audience members are also left with two questions from the poster: whose care is that and where is Laurence Fishbourne?

With John Wick 2 coming in to theaters in a few short days, this is an interesting time for Lionsgate to be dropping new posters. It remains unclear where the impetuous behind their creation comes from, besides laying out subtle cues for fans to peep out when they flock to movie theaters this weekend. As of the writing of this article, neither poster is available for sale on the film's website or either of the artists' stores, leaving the possibility open that one or more posters will be for sale at movie theaters or perhaps given out to ticket holders, as a thank-you for supporting the popular, burgeoning franchise.

While the purpose of the posters remains unclear, both Jock and Minuskin have created beautiful pieces of art. Hopefully they find life outside of just the digital realm (find both all over social media today), and perhaps are merely teases for other posters that are gong to be dropping throughout this week. In a smart move, the team behind John Wick 2 has captured the same kind of public interest won over by the first movie with their online marketing campaign.

NEXT: 15 Things You Didn't Know About John Wick

Source: Nerdist