Writer – Kurtis J. Wiebe Artist – Justin Osterling Letterer – Jim Campbell Designer – Kate Z. Stone Cover A Artist – Tomas Oleksak Cover B artist: Fiona Staples
Thanks to Oni Press for the review copy!
Issue one of Dryad was a mixed bag for me. There were teases of interesting characters and potential for world building, but not enough time was taken establishing things. The second issue is a big improvement. The first issue of this series ended on a cliffhanger, as Rana and Griffon opened a mysterious door that revealed that … the Vhiri are real. It wasn’t clear who the Vhiri are or why it is important that they are real, so I was keenly interested in learning more in issue 2, which picks up right where the prior issue left off.
I still don’t know a lot about the Vhiri, but they are suitably creepy looking and menacing. Their arrival brings parents Morgan and Yale into the children’s peril, which I appreciated after seeming to be in different stories in the first issue. Morgan continues to be my favorite character, as she clearly has an interesting past I’d like to learn more about. With her family threatened she kicks into badass mode, which has an unexpected twist on the genre. Most importantly, after setting up the characters in issue one, no time is wasted in getting into the action. Interestingly, this issue does a more effective job of explaining the world it takes place in while focusing on action. In addition to the twist mentioned above, the issue ends with an interesting reveal.
Perhaps because more things happen, the visuals in this issue are more interesting as well. The art makes great use of glowing neon effects. The action is smooth and understandable. Issue 2 has a little bit of sexual innuendo and implied nudity and one scene with some pretty graphic violence, so some parental discretion is advised.
After a relatively slow start, it seems like the Dryad team is hitting their stride. If you weren’t drawn into Dryad after reading issue 1, it is worth giving it another chance.
DRYAD #2 will be released on June 10th.
Are you going to pick up the issue? Feel free to chat with me on Twitter or leave a comment below!
[…] first issue of Dryad was a bit slow, but it teased enough to keep me reading. Issue two really stepped it up and moved the series in an interesting direction. With issue three, my […]