By Patrick Wolf

Last issue of The Realm we got to see Nolan in his everyday life during the goblin apocalypse. In this issue, we still get more character development and set-up, but Seth M. Peck and his team do a great job of dispersing some action scenes to keep us on our toes. With beautiful art, captivating characters, and a spellbinding world, this series is definitely something special and worth looking at for any fan of post-apocalyptic thrillers.

Issue #2 of The Realm begins with the heroes setting off on their journey. Here we get to witness Rook and Nolan lead Molly and her pack of scientists through the ruins of the apocalypse. But, unbeknownst to our heroes, this is no ordinary escort mission: there’s something the scientists are hiding from them. To make matters worse, the team has just been ransacked by a hoard of goblins and has been forced off-course into some mysterious caverns. Can Rook and Nolan get the crew back on track, or will they become fodder for the goblin hoard?

In-line with the first issue, this installment of The Realm does a good job of building up this world as well as introducing us to the main characters. So far, we still don’t know much about them, but we do get some insights into the masked guide, Rook. As usual, the art’s outstanding and the plot’s intriguing, but the story’s a little lacking in the action department. It’s not that it’s boring; it’s just I’d like to see a bit more suspense—especially in a world as dangerous as Realm.

Another element that’s lacking is the type of action we are given. Just like the previous issue, I feel like I’ve seen a lot of these action scenes before: The good guys get surrounded and escape. Now, while I have no problem with this formula, I do take issue with the lack of ingenuity used to execute it. If you’re going to do an escape scene, make it different. Don’t just have the bad guys attack blindly and the good guys conveniently placed next to the escape route. Make it tough for your heroes. Do something different.  

That being said, The Realm is still a very entertaining series and one worth looking into for any fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure. This series still has a lot to offer, and I can’t wait until we get deeper into the second act. If you haven’t already started this series, get on it.

SCORE: 4/5

Realm #2
Writer: Seth M. Peck
Artist: Jeremy Haun
Colorist: Nick Filardi
Letterer: Thomas Mauer
Publisher: Image Comics