Fantasy Sports No. 2
By: Sam Bosma
Published by: Nobrow Press
Review by Stephanie Cooke
Fantasy Sports No. 2 picks up sometime after the end of No. 1. Right off the bat, we get a little bit of Wiz’s backstory here but ultimately jump right into things with the duo of Mug and Wiz in their present day.
Mug and Wiz have raided more temples and have gotten a ton of rad loot that they’re carrying around with them to present to the Order of the Mage. The two end up in a town that is occupied by people who are not the biggest fans of the Order of the Mage claiming that the organization disrupted their peaceful and happy lives. Not only do Mug and Wiz end up in a volleyball battle for treasure but the residents make them call into question what it is they’re really doing and who they’re really working for.
Initially I thought that the books would be something that I could jump into at any point. I thought that they would lightly follow an arc but it would take them from sport to sport as they try to fight various bosses like in No. 1. However, the books definitely follow a distinct arc, so you shouldn’t pick up No. 2 if you haven’t read No. 1 yet. You might be able to get understand it but don’t do it. Start at the beginning and give yourself some context to everything that’s going on here.
No. 2 also sees the overall story arc really start to take off and evolve here. By the end of the book, I was intrigued about where Wiz and Mug will end up next and whether or not the mission that they’re on will ultimately be called into question for them.
Despite the fact that we only got a taste of Wiz’s backstory, it was a really great addition to the story that definitely left me wanting more. The individual volumes aren’t particularly long (both 1 & 2 respectively took me 20 or so minutes to get through each) so understandably there can’t be too much packed in there, but having a little more about how and why Wiz is traveling with the ruff and gruff Mug, was a welcome addition to the overall story arc.
The art is excellent here and I think I may have enjoyed it more than I did in No. 1. The first volume had lots of skeleton creatures and little ghosties but the creature design here was a little bit more advanced and I enjoyed it a LOT. Sam Bosma created lots of fun sea-humanoid creatures to occupy the village that they come across and for Wiz and Mug to fight in the epic volleyball tournament. Not to mention that the Champion(s) they come up against really felt like something from an alternate Steven Universe, uh, universe.
Verdict:
Must buy! If you loved No. 1, then No. 2 will definitely be for you. It takes what was great about the first book and adds to it, giving you more story and more defining characters moments as well as backstory.
The book doesn’t quite end on a cliffhanger but it leaves you craving the next volume and more of Wiz and Mug. Fantasy Sports has quickly become an absolute delight for me to read and I can’t wait for No. 3.
