Ascender #2 is published by Image Comics. It is written by Jeff Lemire with art by Dustin Nguyen.
Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen have wasted no time diving into the action with Ascender. It’s not in a way that feels sudden or jarring though, in fact, and I think I said this in my review of Issue #1, it’s as if there was no break between Descender and Ascender. It’s only issue #2 and we are already seeing familiar faces outside of Andy.
I don’t think it will be too long until the whole gang is back together, minus Effie, who according to Andy in issue #1, is gone (but this is comic world, so perhaps she isn’t gone-gone…guess we’ll find out!). It’s clear with the return of Bandit that the search for Tim-21 is going to have to resume again. Though Mila is clearly the main character of this story now, Tim-21 is still a pivotal piece who hasn’t truly fulfilled his purposed yet. Honestly, I’m still not really sure what that purpose is even supposed to be at this point.
Mostly what I’m curious about is how magic works. Is magic something that can only be birthed when technology is absent? Was it always around but we just didn’t cover it in Descender? What happens when technology starts coming back, will magic vanish again? Are there any good magic users or is it an inherently evil thing? There’s so many new questions to ponder and it just makes you want to dive further and further into this mystical world Nguyen and Lemire have created.
I don’t think Dustin Nguyen can produce poor quality art. I don’t think the man is capable. Everything he does is just so pretty – even when it’s a grotesque tentacle monster with like 17 eye balls. Plus there’s something about it that really completes the feel Lemire is clearly going for. I’m not quite sure how to describe it. It’s just this perfect blend of mystical and futuristic without feeling like it’s too much either way.
Lastly, I want to say how much I love this “Mother” villainess. She weirdly reminds me of Ursula from Disney’s The Little Mermaid but a more adult-rated, sociopathic version. I mean, she pops out her own eye for a spell without even flinching. Like it was not big deal. Just popped that thing right out. And on that note:
OVERALL SCORE: 9 / 10
Make sure you pick up Ascender #2 from your local comic shop!
Happy reading!
