In theory, I don’t like to review both the first and second issues of a series. Why do both, right? But when a first issue is as amazing as “The Hollows” #1 was, some kind of follow-up feels necessary — to see if the magic is still happening, and attempt to smoke out its source. Which is a roundabout way of saying: while the magic is definitely still happening in “The Hollows” #2, this is not quite as good an issue as the first. As for the source, it’s still a mystery; this big story still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, and is taking its time as it builds on its major themes.
Written by Chris Ryall
Illustrated by Sam KiethChris Ryall and Sam Kieth continue their crazed collaboration with The Hollows, Part 2: “Taking Flight.” When living above the chaos and soul-stealing “hollows” is no longer an option, can Kobayashi manage to rise above the impending doom that surrounds he and his loved ones??
So: last issue Craig Mayerik visited the people who live on the ground, far below the towering tree-cities, and witnessed first hand how they deal with the soul-sucking Hollows. In this issue he visits them again — but now he has a game plan, and it takes the form of a weapon he has engineered to try and make their lives easier.
The sour notes of this issue are all at the beginning, when we watch Craig interact with his fellow inventors, and then with his family. The stilted quality that makes the rest of the title feel so magical comes off as awkward here, with some forced-sounding banter among the inventors, and a couple of icy and aloof words from Craig’s wife. The intent, it seems, is to contrast the shallowness of Craig’s everyday life what he finds among the people who live below, but it’s a touch transparent, and could well have been foregone.
The issue does pick up after this point, though, and while Craig’s second encounter with Lani and her family on the ground goes pretty much as expected, the writing and art come to an ethereal, understated understanding once more and the effect is glorious. With this in mind, it’s hard to understand why Ryall and Kieth had Craig return home at all, last issue. It was pretty much understood from the beginning that Craig wasn’t feeling too happy about his everyday life, and the emphasis on that fact in this issue feels redundant.
That said, this issue does conclude with Craig on the ground, so it looks like we’ll finally be getting to know Lani and her family next issue. This is (apparently) where the real meat of the story is to be found, and while it’s taking some time to get there, the wait is enjoyable enough.
Sam Kieth’s art is again full of great moments (namely that cover, and the concluding pages, which feature lots and lots of Hollows), and feels a touch more complex and coherent than it did last issue. It definitely still has that unfinished quality, but more than anything this style engages the imagination, full of broad, staggering skylines that make the story feel big and mythic.
And then there’s Urp, who I forgot to talk about last issue, which is an injustice, because look at the cuteness:
There’s no hint as to what his role is as of yet, or where the heck he came from, but… he’s a nice touch.
Between the mostly solid writing and the consistently interesting art, it looks like “The Hollows” is flying a steady course, even if this issue wasn’t as wow-brilliant as the first. Most importantly, there’s still no telling where it’s going. Now we just need more people talking about it.
Final Verdict: 8.5 — Buy
