The Forged #1 delivered the Gundam meets Warhammer series I was looking forward to it being. Even in being complete set-up we got introduced to a great set of characters along with what appears to be a God-tier antagonist. The ending set up The Forged team to now battle against unexpected threats with possibly no hope to get back home. With this set-up how does the second issue turn out? Find out with our advance review of The Forged #2.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers: Eric Trautmann and Greg Rucka
Artist: Mike Henderson
Colorist: Nolan Woodard
Letterer: Ariana Maher
SOLICITATION
“The Forged are trapped on the hellscape of Gehenna where the locals are very hungry. CrazyJo loses an arm. Again.” – Image Comics
REVIEW
Trapped on a planet with nowhere to go the sense of isolation permeates throughout The Forged #2. Eric Trautmann, Greg Rucka, and Mike Henderson nail how alone a group can feel in a place they do not recognize whatsoever. This leads to an adventure where we see a completely different side of the characters we were introduced to in the first issue of The Forged.
When it comes to The Forged #2 it is the best example of how the artwork can handle the bulk of the character work for a story. While Trautmann and Rucka certainly provide plenty of solid writing it is Henderson’s artwork that is the star of the show. Henderson and colorist Nolan Woodard get across the sense of desperation each member of The Forged’s Scimitar-3 team go through.
This is really a visual showcase Henderson creates a great sense of tension to the story. You get the feeling just about anything can happen as the Scimitar-3 team just do their best to survive. You really see the trust Trautmann and Rucka have in Henderson and Woodard’s artwork as the writing is there to complement the art. Even when we spend a lot of time just seeing the characters in their armor their personalities still shine through and that is credit to Henderson’s artwork.
In the artwork stepping up big the creative team is able to further get over the sci-fi setting of the series. Just like with franchises such as Star Trek, Mass Effect, and Warhammer, there is a sense of discovery in the unknown that you go alongside these characters. It creates a greater sense of investment in where this unknown journey takes our leads.
Though one thing that does completely connect is when Trautmann and Rucka dig into the mythology of The Forged. There is still some disconnect here as the mythology clearly has a world guide built going when developing this series. That is nothing something that is being fully conveyed through the story in these first two issues. Hopefully the way the mythology is conveyed is refined as the story and characters continue to be developed through the course of this series.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mike Henderson steals the show with amazing artwork that gets over the tension the characters feel throughout The Forged #2. That tension Henderson creates allows Eric Trautmann and Greg Rucka to have the reader connect further with all the characters in this series.
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10