Dying and the Dead #2
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Ryan Bodenheim
The Dying and the Dead #1 was the strongest debut issue I’ve ever read from Jonathan Hickman and one of the best issues he’s ever written. Hickman took his strength as a philosophical writer and found a new way to convey his voice. Instead of creating an immense and layered world, he gave us a smaller-scaled story that immersed me with its characters and deep writing. Unfortunately, the second issues was delayed two months and my excitement died down a tad. But this issue was worth the wait. I don’t know how Hickman tops his previous work but he always does. This a fantastic issue delivered by two master storytellers.
The Dying and the Dead #1 took a lot of time to set-up the plot of this series and its principle ideas. The aging of love and the aging of the human race. Hickman is focusing on death from a natural standpoint this time around and it couldn’t be working any better. The theme of human’s reluctance to accept that love is passing was prominent in issue #1 and presented an extremely strong foundation for this series. Issue #2 focuses on the dying process of the elderly. Their fall from grace as Hickman puts it himself. Hickman is exploring a theme that he clings to in new and unique ways that feel extremely fresh and inventive. He has so many angles of analysing death and Dying and the Dead is his best effort yet because it’s also his most human. This idea of death is one many of us can associate too and that’s principally what makes this comic so endearing.
That isn’t to downgrade the other aspect of this comic. Everything from the characters, to the plot, to the pacing are wonderfully executed. Issue #1 focused on defining the Colonel as a character who just doesn’t want to let go of love. His portrayal continues to be fantastic, here as we get to see him reunite with his former partners for the adventure he’s about to have. He’s a morally ambiguous character at this point and I like the mystery. Hickman has always done such a great job at creating mystery within characters and story. Though, he doesn’t rely on his protagonist to propel this issue forward.
I thought this series was going to be an adventure featuring the Colonel and the lady sent with him but this issue introduced the true ensemble cast of this series. Hickman brings in a total of 3 new characters into the mix. These are a group of aging men who have passed their glory days long ago. But Hickman establishes that their glory days are relevant to the overall plot. He creates a strong sense of old friends whom are very happy to be reunited. The group dynamic has yet to be defined but each character is strongly portrayed by Hickman’s pen.
It’s incredible that Hickman was able to introduce 4 new characters and flesh them out as much as he did. While the 2 of them aren’t as deep as the Colonel or the prominently featured Mr. Beller, they show immense amounts of potential and are already strong presences in the book. Following all of these men on an adventure is going to be incredible because Hickman is making us care about them in his set-up issues.
Which is essential what this issue is in terms of plot. This story is clearly an Indiana Jones style adventure and Hickman took this issue to amass the cast before pitching them onto their journey. There are numerous hints at the past of these friends and their ties to the City. Hickman has, just like East of West, pit the readers into the middle of his story. There is a hidden past and it is immensely intriguing. The book’s plot is compelling but it isn’t advanced much in this issue aside from these hints. However, this didn’t bother me one bit because it still felt like such a worthwhile read. The sheer amount of character work and ideas put in this issue made up for the fact that most of it was set-up.
Ryan Bodenheim returns to art duties in this issue and his art shines as strongly as it did in January. He was very capable at depicting the violence of the previous issue as he is equally capable at depicting the woe of this issue. The entire first segment revolves around the old discussing the pains of age and Bodenheim captures the sadness extremely well. He can draw emotions in characters faces fantastically with his detailed pencils. He puts an enormous amount of effort into making this book beautiful and reflective of its story. He succeeds wonderfully.
The wait for this issue was painful but Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Bodenheim made it worth the wait. This is a series that thrives because of its powerful characters and themes. The plot hasn’t even kicked into gear yet and it’s already a fantastic read that captivates me with every panel. Its sophomore issue established that the high quality of this series wasn’t just for the debut. This is some of Hickman’s best work yet and that’s saying something.
Artist: Ryan Bodenheim
The Dying and the Dead #1 was the strongest debut issue I’ve ever read from Jonathan Hickman and one of the best issues he’s ever written. Hickman took his strength as a philosophical writer and found a new way to convey his voice. Instead of creating an immense and layered world, he gave us a smaller-scaled story that immersed me with its characters and deep writing. Unfortunately, the second issues was delayed two months and my excitement died down a tad. But this issue was worth the wait. I don’t know how Hickman tops his previous work but he always does. This a fantastic issue delivered by two master storytellers.
The Dying and the Dead #1 took a lot of time to set-up the plot of this series and its principle ideas. The aging of love and the aging of the human race. Hickman is focusing on death from a natural standpoint this time around and it couldn’t be working any better. The theme of human’s reluctance to accept that love is passing was prominent in issue #1 and presented an extremely strong foundation for this series. Issue #2 focuses on the dying process of the elderly. Their fall from grace as Hickman puts it himself. Hickman is exploring a theme that he clings to in new and unique ways that feel extremely fresh and inventive. He has so many angles of analysing death and Dying and the Dead is his best effort yet because it’s also his most human. This idea of death is one many of us can associate too and that’s principally what makes this comic so endearing.
That isn’t to downgrade the other aspect of this comic. Everything from the characters, to the plot, to the pacing are wonderfully executed. Issue #1 focused on defining the Colonel as a character who just doesn’t want to let go of love. His portrayal continues to be fantastic, here as we get to see him reunite with his former partners for the adventure he’s about to have. He’s a morally ambiguous character at this point and I like the mystery. Hickman has always done such a great job at creating mystery within characters and story. Though, he doesn’t rely on his protagonist to propel this issue forward.
I thought this series was going to be an adventure featuring the Colonel and the lady sent with him but this issue introduced the true ensemble cast of this series. Hickman brings in a total of 3 new characters into the mix. These are a group of aging men who have passed their glory days long ago. But Hickman establishes that their glory days are relevant to the overall plot. He creates a strong sense of old friends whom are very happy to be reunited. The group dynamic has yet to be defined but each character is strongly portrayed by Hickman’s pen.
It’s incredible that Hickman was able to introduce 4 new characters and flesh them out as much as he did. While the 2 of them aren’t as deep as the Colonel or the prominently featured Mr. Beller, they show immense amounts of potential and are already strong presences in the book. Following all of these men on an adventure is going to be incredible because Hickman is making us care about them in his set-up issues.
Which is essential what this issue is in terms of plot. This story is clearly an Indiana Jones style adventure and Hickman took this issue to amass the cast before pitching them onto their journey. There are numerous hints at the past of these friends and their ties to the City. Hickman has, just like East of West, pit the readers into the middle of his story. There is a hidden past and it is immensely intriguing. The book’s plot is compelling but it isn’t advanced much in this issue aside from these hints. However, this didn’t bother me one bit because it still felt like such a worthwhile read. The sheer amount of character work and ideas put in this issue made up for the fact that most of it was set-up.
Ryan Bodenheim returns to art duties in this issue and his art shines as strongly as it did in January. He was very capable at depicting the violence of the previous issue as he is equally capable at depicting the woe of this issue. The entire first segment revolves around the old discussing the pains of age and Bodenheim captures the sadness extremely well. He can draw emotions in characters faces fantastically with his detailed pencils. He puts an enormous amount of effort into making this book beautiful and reflective of its story. He succeeds wonderfully.
The wait for this issue was painful but Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Bodenheim made it worth the wait. This is a series that thrives because of its powerful characters and themes. The plot hasn’t even kicked into gear yet and it’s already a fantastic read that captivates me with every panel. Its sophomore issue established that the high quality of this series wasn’t just for the debut. This is some of Hickman’s best work yet and that’s saying something.
A Look Inside
