Tonal Shift
In my review for the first volume of this, I could do nothing but rave about how much I enjoyed that work, how fantastic Fraction and Aja was and how they could do no wrong. Now, putting down the second volume, I'm honestly not sure what to feel.
Don't get me wrong, what was great about the last volume stays the same here; fantastic art, well written story, complex characters, and a nice balance of action, comedy, and somber moments. Except now there's a lot more of the somber than there was before. And that honestly put a damper on things for me here. What once was a sprawling adventure of fun and excitement was brought down to something a little more serious. And this isn't a bad thing, just jarring, as the sound of each volume is very different.
And yet, everything is very connected. Anything that was remotely important in the last volume is here for another round, showing just how well woven this tale is. There are a lot of twists and unanswered questions that keeps readers on their toes long after they put this book down. And the character building is still fantastic, as is shown by a new character that is introduced and one particularly great issue from the perspective of Pizza Dog.
However, there is also a major oversight by the people who put together the graphic novel itself. For whatever reason, someone decided that, because it didn't directly relate to the current story arch, the issue 7 would come before issue 6 in the book. Yet, there are contextual references to the months these events are taking place in, as well as character development when, going backwards, is a bit confusing.
That being said, this series is definitely still great, just great in a different way. This series has definitely shifted with the character, and it shows, but it never hinders or affects just how enjoyable the work is. If you go into it without any of those expectations, you'll have a blast.