ODY-C #2

ODY-C #2
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Christian Ward
Flattening: Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Publisher: Image
Price: $3.99
Released on: 1/07/15
 
Matt Fraction’s ODY-C #2 harvests all of the world-building the living legend seeded in his first issue. It is no surprise to comic book readers that a talented writer like Matt Fraction was able to re-envision Homer’s Odyssey, but to be able to swim through the channels of Greek mythology so deftly – he has made it relevant and controversial even in today’s world.We are catapulted into a world humans were not meant to understand and are privileged to a creative team dedicated to finesse. Readers of the premiere noticed the all-female ensemble was stuck in a world that didn’t need them and made it a point that it didn’t want them either. Lesbians, space, and six syllable dactylic hexameter – oh boy! Let’s dive on in.  Check out WeeklyComicBookReview's Review of #1 for a detailed look. 
 

The issue begins in dramatic fashion with the decapitation and destruction of Cronus, Zeus's father. The paint appears as if it were still wet in this psychedelic illustration and dripping off the page thanks to Cunniffe's flattening. Christian Ward and his art team deserve an award for this series, and we’re only on the second installment, wow! Already the artwork blossoms a beautiful, tragic flower which will set the tone for the rest of this issue. This flower, more specifically a lotus, is built from the sturdy stem of ire with pedals of antipathy and trepidation, centered on a burning sense of regret. Fraction erases questions about the gender polarity from the fast-paced introduction of the first arc and raises more about the path of Odyssia’s son. Zeus tells the readers how and why she exterminated men from the cosmos while highlighting her own insecurities about the denizens within which she refers to as her children. This plot seemed focused on Zeus as much as it did on our troubled hero, Odyssia.
 
Odyssia appears to be in a suspended state between longing and dreading for return to her homeworld, Ithicaa. Odyssia and Ero travel through the circles of the Phage-World, resembling the circles of hell, and find their place among the lotus-eaters. Ero speaks to its lover from the soul, or what in AI could resemble a soul, who seems to be objectionably terse. Odyssia will not raise Ero’s child which echoes the insecurities of the heavenly All-Mother and introduces the pain she feels for leaving her son behind. Her fate seems somehow wound to that of Promethene, the titan punished for creating the Sebex. A female analog that could give birth to more women despite Zeus having destroyed the men which Fraction explains the genetics of adequately. Whether the explanation is enough for readers or not, reading the word in Eliopoulos’s lettering is a real treat – a star in his own right, Eliopoulos is the unsung hero in this series.

 
ODY-C is a powerhouse of literary prowess, masterful art, and keen insight into the world of comics. This series is an instant classic, pick up #2 today if you still can! Let me know what you thought about it in the comments section or hit me on Twitter.