Comic Review: The Last Siege #2

The Last Siege #2

Image Comics

Writer: Landry Q. Walker

Artists: Justin Greenwood & Eric Jones

The first issue of The Last Siege had a lot going for it, but never quite captivated in the way that it should. We are introduced to a nameless protagonist in a gritty medieval world. The debut brought out some interesting themes, including medieval politics, vicious brutality, and a Spaghetti Western style approach. Unfortunately, the second issue of this series doesn’t bring about the mystique that the first issue offers, and overall this issue just falls flat.

The Last Siege #2 focuses on two fronts: A new scary villain escaping imprisonment and the nameless protagonist prepping for war. The juxtaposition of the meaty bad-guy killing everyone near him while the protagonist does nothing but talk and strategize leads to troublesome pacing. This issue is absolutely full of medieval politics and dialogue. We learn that the protagonist is a skillful tactician in addition to being a solid fighter, but that’s almost it. It feels like the plan of attack is simply expressed as exposition, and doesn’t excite the reader. Despite the leaps between action and dialogue, the book overall just feels uneventful. The dialogue scenes are almost too long and too wordy, which usually isn’t a bad thing. Unfortunately, the dialogue just isn’t too interesting.

The action scene is interesting enough, with fine choreography thanks to Justin Greenwoods pencils and panel layouts. The art almost captures the perfect angle for a punch or slice, making the action scenes once again the best part of the issue. The art also does the best it can to make the politics interesting, and aside from a few awkward expressions, ensures that The Last Siege is easy on the eyes. Eric Jones’ colors successfully set the mood with cool greys and brown throughout both the dialogue and action.

Unfortunately, the art is really the only area that The Last Siege really shines. The issue is just too heavy on the exposition and doesn’t place enough emphasis on character development. For the second issue in a row, The Last Siege appears to be a title with potential, but not much else. Its problem isn’t that it is doing anything wrong, it just isn’t doing enough to be special. Even the cliff-hanger leaves a lot to be desired. This could be a slow-burn that pays off in the long run, but for now, this series is mostly mediocre.