By Wood, Brown, Stewart, Erskine, Shalvey, Zezelj and Bellaire
Publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 9781616553166
The crew of the Kapital are continuing their search for their sister ship The Massive, elusively sitting at the edge of their radar – if indeed it’s there at all – and encountering the new world order following the environmental, social and economic collapse that has so altered the dynamics of the planet.
Their first stop is at a group of drilling platforms, towed together to make a floating city-state that claims to be operating an idyllic way of life as it shuns materialism and violence. The reality is that nothing is ever that perfect, and the crew’s presence on board begins a chain of events that reveal its darker heart. There’s also a story about a rocky outcrop that was once home to nesting seabirds but now appears abandoned, which is just as well when Mary crash-lands there in the helicopter. The island is also a haven for feeding great whites, drawn there by the currents and the promise of food, but something larger now swims with their numbers and it’s through them that Mary must swim to escape.
Can’t say I enjoyed this volume even half as much as the first. The characters motives aren’t always obvious or even logical, so their behaviour can jar or just seem odd. Although the wider planetary disaster is fascinating and serves as an excellent backdrop to pitch the narrative upon, I’m just not connecting with the Kapitul’s crew. This may also be partly down to the scratchy, scribbly style of art the book favours from its artists, with the final story, Nanatak, a particularly difficult example.
Personally I’d like to see a broadening of the characters and a clearer, more defined, art style if this is going to hold my attention for another volume. There’s a lot of promise here, but I’m not so sure it’s being realised.
And if you liked that: You just may like Wood’s DMZ
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