Written by: Brandon Thomas
Art by: Juan Gedeon & Frank Martin
Publisher: Image Comics
The first issue of Horizon definitely left me wanting. It seemed like a cool concept, but aside from Juan Gedeon’s incredible art, there wasn’t enough about the book I was excited about. Still, I decided to check out #2, if only to look at the art, and holy shit did this issue deliver in a big way. The opening is still a little bit dry, but everything after that has me convinced that this is a book worth continuing with.
Within the space of twenty pages, Brandon Thomas crafted a cast of characters that I’m excited to see more of. Zhia and Mariol, who were introduced in the first issue, get some actual character work here. Now that the world and plot have been established, there’s plenty of room for that character work, and I’m really glad it’s here. There’s plenty of good writing to go around, as those two, along with the newly introduced Davix, get their chances to shine. They’re each a take on a trope, but different enough to be interesting.
Honestly, the character work is kind of just a bonus in this book. The real selling point, at least for me, is the art. Gedeon’s style isn’t super detailed, but that fits the nature of this book quite well. Along with Frank Martin, he brings the post-apocalyptic world to life. He also captures movement exceptionally well, making the action scenes that much more of a treat to follow. A lot of this has to do with the inks, which are used to incredible effect in this book. It helps that Thomas’ script is fairly sparse, allowing the art team to showcase their incredible work.
This may be part of the reason that Horizon #2 was a quick read my first time through. There’s not all that much here to read, and I kind of blazed through it. Even going back to admire the art on my second and third readings, it didn’t feel like I was spending an exorbitant amount of time on the issue. The pace is breakneck, and is maintained throughout the entire issue. The creative team dials it up to eleven, and then never bothers to bring it back down. Which, by the way, is totally fine by me.
Plot wise, Horizon still has me intrigued. The first issue presented a lot of questions. While there are certainly some answers here, this issue also adds further layers to the story. At the end of the last issue, the conflict seemed fairly straightforward – undercover aliens want to remove the Humans from Earth. Not that I would really blame them, to be entirely honest. But there’s a twist on the core story here that makes reading the next issue a much more appealing prospect.
Look – Horizon isn’t revolutionizing comics, by any means. But then, it doesn’t really need to. The creative team is telling a cool story with characters that they’ve made me care about, and that’s more than enough to convince me to stick around for a little while. Plus, the issue looks absolutely incredible.
