“This second issue is as packed as the first, perhaps more so. The world expands and the plot gets thicker. There’s some real twists and turns and a cliffhanger ending. Really it’s a very solid second issue all around. It’s what you want from a second issue. I enjoyed it possibly more than the first issue.”
Words by Brian Haberlin with Hannah Wall
Art by Brian Haberlin
Colours by Geirrod Van Dyke
Lettering by Francis Takenaga
This second issue is as packed as the first, perhaps more so. The world expands and the plot gets thicker. There’s some real twists and turns and a cliffhanger ending. Really it’s a very solid second issue all around. It’s what you want from a second issue. I enjoyed it possibly more than the first issue.
When last we left Sylv and her brother she had been hired by the mysterious Falk, who was a dodgy character but as Sylv needs the money she didn’t really have a lot of choice. We get some nice little world building as Slyv and her brother waiy for the mysteriously dodgy Falk. We have soldiers heading back from mysterious troubles, and the dead ones did not die well. Also they have really cool looking yellow and black striped hoods. Amerax is a new character briefly introduced who clearly knew Slyv and Shadow back in the day. Fingers crossed we see more of him.
Those little details really add to the whole political tapestry of this world. As Sylv and Shadow cross the sea we get more sense of the geography too. This is a bigger world than we first saw containing many of the classic tropes of layout of fantasy land. Of course this being a fantasy sea the fish are literally flying. I also very much appreciated Sylv’s seasickness, it’s a nice character detail. This is a world with seas, a city, a north and populated by strange creatures.
The design of the creatures is as always fun. As well as the soldiers’ dinosaur-like strange creature pulling their wagon there’s the flying fish and a strange creature in the city, a bear horse pig with hands? Either way these creature details help with the world building. The city provides more of the world. There’s a magic shop filled with strange objects for starters. One of which, a wish ball, seems like it could important later.
We also have the plot that also develops. The child that Flak alternately claims is his grandson and grandnephew is clearly neither. He’s also wanted by a few different people it seems for reasons that might possibly be related to magic. Again an innocent child people need to rescue from well bad people is a classic trope but it’s being explored in a fun way here. There’s a lot of questions about this mysterious child and Sylv ends the issue in as much trouble as ever.
This was a fun ride. It feels very much like a classic fantasy tale playing around with different tropes and it’s really working on that level. Sylv is a fun protagonist and we did get some interesting character insight from magic to sea sickness. The development with Shadow/Victor was unexpected but appreciated and not one but two new pairs of antagonists.
If you enjoyed the first issue you’ll really enjoy the second too.
Bigger Than Capes 