The Mighty Zodiac #2
Writer: J. Torres
Artist: Corin Howell
Colourist: Maarta Laiho
Letterer: Warren Wucinich
Editor: Robin Herrera
Publisher: Oni Press
A review by Amelia Wellman
In The Mighty Zodiac #2, the Unlucky Four (the dog, cat, horse, and rooster) have arrived at Twilight’s Bastion, without any of the fallen stars, but concerned for Master Long. When they’ve scaled the cliffs that protect Twilight’s Bastion, they find their Master in even worse condition than they feared. Meanwhile, the other members of the Mighty Zodiac are facing off against the gathering masses of shadowy rabbits.
The story continues to move along at a swift pace in this all-animal world of magic and mythology. Nothing is seen of the rat and the rabbit this issue and Ho the tiger only makes a brief appearance towards the end with a big reveal that’s leading us into issue three. We’re given more of Tok (the ox) and Buta (the boar) this issue but little of Mar (the ram) and Yaya (the monkey). That’s probably my biggest concern right now, that a large chunk of the Zodiac warriors aren’t being development enough. We’re only two issues in though, with four more in this story line, so it’s still too early for me to definitely say we’re missing out. And, since the characters that are being developed are being developed really well, it’s a micro-concern if it’s a concern at all.
The action within this issue is fast paced and omnipresent. Between Master Long using his remaining strength to continue to test his Zodiac warriors, sheer cliff wall climbing, Tok, Buta, Mar, and Yaya all coming face to face with the rabbit’s army of shadows, and Ho’s surprising entrance, there’s always something happening to keep your interest moving from one page to the next.
The art style gets changed up briefly for two flashback scenes and it takes on an ink brushed, water-coloured, sepia-toned quality. It was exceedingly charming and I hope it’s shown more throughout the series. The non-flashback art is colourful, expressive, and each character, despite the amount of time dedicated to them each issue, are all unique and memorable. It would have been easy to make them all look the same with uniformed clothing and expressions because they’re part of this elite squad, but each character has different clothing and reactions and it adds so much to the story.
The Verdict
Buy it! The Mighty Zodiac #2 has got something for everyone. There’s a large collection of characters with a large collection of personalities. There’s captivating art that’s light and cartoony but speaks of its influences and inspiration with flashes of traditional Chinese ink brush scattered throughout. The action is quick and concise and constantly on-point. Everything in The Mighty Zodiac series feels like it absolutely belongs there. And if none of that is for you, there are animal based puns. Who could resist a horse that says ‘neigh’ instead of ‘nay’?
