Barbaric #2

Barbaric #2

Vault Comics 2021

Written by Michael Moreci

Illustrated by Nathan Gooden

Coloured by Addison Duke

Lettered by Jim Campbell

More blood! More mayhem! More monsters! Will Owen storm the abbey with Soren the witch? Will axe get drunk on blood? Yes! And you're going to love it.

I have to say that this intrigues me a lot more than I had anticipated it doing. I mean that Axe has a backstory we know nothing about but we almost learned. Owen knowing how to do what he does the best and that he displays a lot more intelligence than I was originally ready to give him credit for is rather spectacular to see. Soren’s story is one that’s interesting but chock full of holes, like how she’s managed to become so prolific in the use of her abilities that she’s seemingly so desperate to be rid of. All of these things and so much more conspire to make this a heck of a lot more interesting than what it appears to be on the surface and I should’ve expected this from Michael after all but for whatever reason I was so caught up in the introductory issue that I let certain things escape my notice. He does a really magnificent job with the misdirection and in your face moments that the subtlety of what is happening is nearly overlooked.

I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter continues to flesh them out magnificently. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story it captures the readers imagination and engages them perfectly.

I greatly appreciate the way that this is being structured as well as how we see the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve, strengthen and emerge. The layers contain the characterisation, the plot twists and so much more an whether they work with the main arc or swirl around it they add depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is perfectly achieved.

The interiors here are mindbogglingly bloody brilliant. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised ot create the detail work is mind numbing. From Soren’s tattoo’s, to her dress to how we see her powers or her cloak going up stairs, this is the stuff dreams are made of. That we see backgrounds being utilised so prolifically as we do makes me a happy camper and how they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is incredibly well rendered. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is equally as brilliant to see. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is beautifully rendered.

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This is a beautiful book and yet it’s got a talking magical axe that gets punch drunk on blood and acts as something akin to a moral compass for Owen, reminding him of his predicament and that he’s bound to help anyone who asks for it. With such strong, intelligent and witty writing and characterisation alongside these phenomenal interiors that take us on a journey through this world in some truly unexpected ways.