Cross To Bear #2

Cross To Bear #2

Aftershock Comics 2021

Written by Marko Stojanović

Illustrated by Siniša Banović

Coloured by Aljoša Tomić

Lettered by Taylor Esposito

Edgar swore he was done with The Order. He was done with the secrecy, the monsters and, most importantly, the killing. But now the murderer known as Jack the Ripper has hit close to home, and Edgar has no choice but to do what he promised he never would...return to The Order, and his brother along with it, to enact his plan of terrible revenge.

Well this is certainly a very different book than I was anticipating it to be. I mean I absolutely love the concept here and how we see things playing out. We haven’t gotten a good look at Jack but that’s okay I don’t want to yet because i’d like to see his handiwork but not him it makes his identity more in line with the whole no one knew his identity. It is just such a shame that Edgar had to go through what he does in order to be angry enough to join his brother and go to the Order. He’ll need them if he’s going to find the one responsible for what’s happened and thus the chase is on and it’s only a matter of time before they meet up, well that’s potentially meet up because Jack is a master at escaping after all.

I am very much enjoying the way that we see this being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the reader learns information are presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a magnificent job bringing their personalities to life. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story the more deeply we experience things alongside the characters and the more we want to see.

I am loving the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. I am also liking the way that these layers open up new avenues to explore. The flashback dream and Baltimore are two avenues that beg to be explored further. What these do is add some interesting depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.

The interiors here are extremely nice to see. The linework is clean, crisp and sharp so that along with its varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail we see within the work throughout is extremely nice to see. Also the shading here is extraordinary and that much black makes moments that much more dramatic here. The way backgrounds are being used to enhance and expand the moment as well as 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 marvellous to see. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a great understanding of how colour works.

​ We’re getting some glimpses of the Order and what they do, of Edgar and it’s all just bringing us just enough to wet the appetite for more. There’s so many little gems in here that open up the story and the potential for what this world has to offer and I am extremely impressed with how full this makes the book feel. With some strong clever writing and this superbly intriguing characterisation wrapped around by these splendid interiors really make this stand out from the crowd.