Terry Moores Echo TP Vol 2 Atomic Dreams

Echo #2

by Terry Moore

Julie wakes up in a desert motel, wearing a plate of liquid metal that possesses tremendous power. With NSB agent Ivy hot on her heels, Julie heeds a voice inside that say "run." Then the killings begin, and Julie finds herself face to face with evil, wearing the same metal.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Fantasy

Comic

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Following the examples of independent comic creators such as Dave Sim and Jeff Smith, he decided to publish Strangers in Paradise himself through his own Houston-based "Abstract Studios" imprint, and has frequently mentioned a desire to do a syndicated cartoon strip in the authors notes at the back of the Strangers in Paradise collection books. He has also mentioned his greatest career influence is Peanuts' Charles Schulz.[1] Some of Moore's strip work can additionally be found in his Paradise, Too! publications.

His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including receiving the Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for Strangers in Paradise #1-8, which was collected in the trade paperback "I Dream of You".

It was announced on June 15th, 2007 that Moore would be taking over for Sean McKeever as writer of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane series starting with a new issue #1. On July 27th, Marvel announced that Moore would also take over for Joss Whedon as writer of Marvel's Runaways.[2]

On November 19th, 2007 Terry Moore announced in his blog that his new self-published series would be named Echo and its first issue would appear on March 5th, 2008.[3]

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Moore the merrier! Oh, man, such a bad pun – but perfect! I am very excited to get back into another Moore graphic novel and I am excited to share my review with you with the hope of getting even Moore readers (see what I did there) for this excellent series!



I just can’t say enough about how well Moore’s style of art and writing lends itself to a “superhero-ish” story. Almost all of my Moore experience is with Strangers In Paradise which does have some moments of action, but is mainly about relationships. I knew that a more action packed storyline would take some getting used to. But, now that I am two volumes (10 issues) in, I am very comfortable with where Moore has taken me.



Ah, the art! I just always enjoy Moore’s art. He is the master of the black and white comic format. I wish there were more sharable B&W images from this volume (if there are, I am having a heck of a time finding them). In the inside front and back covers there is a beautiful picture of the main character. I guess you will just have to hunt it down to see for yourself!

I was able to share a couple very cool colored covers, though!



You should read this series, need I say any Moore?

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

All right, now I'm just straight-up having a blast with this series. Moore continues to expand the mystery and world surrounding Julie and the suit that's attached itself to her and the lunatic who's also managed to get hold of part of the suit, all without losing any of the careful attention to character he displayed in the first volume. I think this is exactly what I've been wanting to read for a long time.

Beyond this, Moore also starts to filter in little bits of philosophy and physics that never feel pretentious or over the top. They're just there to speak to the situations at hand, and I really dig how deftly he handles stuff like this.

I think it's truly amazing how good he is at both art and story. Most comics artists can do one or another, sacrificing story for art or vice versa. But Moore's pencils are some of the most detailed and careful I've seen in years, his characters more expressive than most you'll find elsewhere. Art like this, even without color, really breathes life into this already well-paced mystery, making me care even more about these people than the writing already does.

I'm hooked at this point, definitely going to see this all the way through. I'm hoping it keeps up the consistency, but so far Moore's given me no reason to doubt that it will.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The protagonist, Julie Martin, is on the run from a charismatic government agent and a violent man who also possesses some of the mysterious element that has attached itself to Julie.

Fight, run, talk, talk, run, fight.

It's not too complex, but Terry Moore's dialogue and art just sweep you along.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contains material originally published in single magazine form as Echo #6-10.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story with a very good concept. A suit of metal that molds to a person's body and that produces its own power.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the Echo series. Not much plot development in this book: Julie and Dillon are still on the run, with Ivy Raven, of the "National Security Branch," on their trail. Ivy is the most intriguing character, since she's a MIB but at least appears to be one of the good guys, claiming that she actually wants to help Julie, while HeNRI, the corporation that built the liquid metal supersuit she's wearing, obviously just wants the suit back and evidence of their screw-up erased at all costs.

The homeless guy with the liquid metal glove catches up to the fugitives, resulting in a bloody and destructive battle in the middle of the Nevada desert. Then Julie and Dillon run away some more, and then the homeless guy catches up to them again.

3.5 stars — nothing really new added here, but the art is still eye-catching and the story moves along. Unfortunately, my local library only has the first two volumes, so looks like I will have to actually buy the next one if I want to see what happens next.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry Moore's art was as ever, amazing in this. I don't think I know another comic artist who draws faces as expressive as Moore.

Plot wise I don't feel that this volume was quite as good as the first, but it was still an enjoyable romp. The homeless guy and Ivy are nice contrasting pursuers of the main du0, and I'm looking forward to seeing how their roles pan out in the following volumes.

[marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi è piaciuto davvero tanto!!! Consigliatissimo
Le tavole sono ben distribuite, le immagini molto espressive! Ho adorato i personaggi!!!!
Ho preferito decisamente il #2 più del primo!!

[Zedsdead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 2 opens with Julie hiding out in the Nevada desert. She's being hunted by both a madman who also possesses some of the alloy and a relentless tracker working for the agency that got her into the mess in the first place. Sparks fly, and people explode.

Terrific follow-up to a terrific first volume. Moore is a master character-writer; everyone in the book just jumps off the page. Ivy's intuitive leaps, the homeless guy's madness, Julie's empathy, it's all totally believable.

Moore continues to do great things with black and white. And thank god he has abandoned the ridiculously cartoony surprise-expressions that ruined Strangers in Paradise for me. One shouldn't mix this much smarts and realism with Dagwood Bumstead art.

[John Elbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume continues at breakneck pace and Moore masterfully weaves in and out of the action while peppering in more layers to our story. A mystery or two and a few unanswered questions kept things interesting.

I complimented the action in the last volume but damn Terry blows the doors off here! There are several intense action squences again that really showcase Moores versatility as an artist!

Lastly, Ivy Raven is an amazing character that you can tell Terry enjoyed writing. She is kick ass like a Parker Girl but not totally evil? Let's see how things unfold a bit more before I get too attached.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dream sequences are evocative in a wisps-of-clouds across my consciousness kind of way, and the hints is philosophy have been good. I like how Annie is communing with Julie and I love how the investigator is both quirky, observant and her own, strong woman. Both vulnerable and steely - unlike Julie who's closed and wishy-washy.

The action is stunning in how sudden it comes on and how quickly it resolves... though only for a little while. The quiet moments in between are great.

The pencil art continues to do the job, a lot better than no-inks-or-colours ever deserves to do.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a slow and foundational V1, "Atomic Dreams" moves into exciting action, as Julie goes on the run and is beset by multiple forces. We perhaps lose some of the deep characterization of the first volume, but there's still a lot to like here, and the action helps to pick up the pace (and is quite shocking at times). Moore is continuing the story in a way that makes it obvious that he knows where he's going and is happy to push in the direction.

[Nicolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect second part of the story, lovely artwork. Just impressive, cannot wait for the next one.

[Stefania Portaluppi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continua il mio viaggio nel mondo dei fumetti e delle graphic novels (ho molto da recuperare).

"Echo" è un fumetto di genere fantascientifico di Terry Moore, autore tra le altre cose anche di "Strangers in Paradise", considerato uno dei simboli della rinascita del fumetto indipendente.

La protagonista è Julie Martin, una donna che assiste ad una strana esplosione mentre scatta fotografie nel deserto. In seguito, sul suo corpo cadono numerose gocce metalliche che si coagulano ricoprendole il busto come una corazza. Julie non ha la più pallida idea di che cosa stia succedendo, ma i laboratori di ricerca HeNRI sì. Pare, infatti, che ci siano persone disposte a tutto pur di recuperare quella lega, in grado di rendere invulnerabile e pericoloso chiunque la indossi.

Il fumetto è disponibile su Amazon in due parti anche gratuitamente per chi ha Kindle Unlimited. Da non esperta, posso dire che i disegni sono molto belli. La storia è solida, ben bilanciata, con personaggi che crescono nel corso della narrazione e si muovono su più scenari, tra teorie complottiste, elementi biblici e fantascientifici. Ogni personaggio - non solo la protagonista - è messo a dura prova, deve capire che cosa sta succedendo in fretta e cosa è disposto a fare per scoprire la verità. La Julie delle prime pagine non ha nulla a che vedere con la donna degli ultimi capitoli. Il registro varia spesso; ci sono scene leggere, divertenti, che stemperano la tensione e scene ricche di azione e suspance, con pochissimi momenti romantici (mai troppo sdolcinati, comunque). L'intreccio è abbastanza complesso, ma è una storia scorrevole, il ritmo è serrato fin dalle prime pagine. E sembra anche molto cinematografica.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the first book made me think more of SiP, I can safely say that this volume established the series from it's older sibling. I devoured this book in a day, reading it as quickly as I could get my hands on it & then flipping through it multiple times to catch the artwork & smaller details that I may have missed the first go round. (And there's always little details to catch with Moore's work.)

The first volume left Julie & Dillon as they set off on the road with several bikers in the attempt to stay away from the military. What they didn't know is that they are being followed by an insane homeless man who also has a part of the suit... and isn't afraid to use it to kill. Meanwhile there's an intelligent & beautiful woman working for the organization HeNRI- the organization that helped make the suit & wants it back. That woman is Ivy Raven- and Ivy seems to always get what she's working for.

This volume moves much faster than the previous volume- mostly because all of the buildup & character introductions were really made in the first volume. Atomic Dreams moves the series into a faster pace- with more mysteries introduced (what's in Julie's "closet box"?) & meatier villains. The crazy homeless guy features more in this volume than he did in the last one & there's signs of Julie's chest plate having more of a sentience than previously thought.

The production values of this volume are far better than the previous volume. Volume 1 made it seem like it was ran off a printer in mass quantity & not proofread (the pictures weren't as clear in some pages as they were in others), but this volume brings the quality up a notch. The pictures are clean & there's none of the issues there were previously.

I'm really looking forward to what the story will bring me in the future & for the next volume. My only complaint so far is that they aren't coming out fast enough! (I know, I'm greedy for Moore! *insert drum riff*)

[Artemisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it created too many questions, without answering any of the questions left from the previous book. I hope Terry Moore knows where he want to get, and we aren't left with a bunch of loose ends.

This is just a little bit more on Echo running from "the man", but know there is an extra bad guy a crazy man with a piece of the suit, and he seems just as powerful as Julie.
On the other PoV, Ivy is getting closer to Julie and I feel like she is starting to trust Ivy, I just don't know how wise that would be...

This time the quotes on the separator pages are from Oppenheimer wonder who will be the next scientist chosen.

[Greymalkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't quite enjoy this as much as the first, but I think it's because this was the book that starts introducing all the plotlines that will follow through the rest of the books. So it felt a little disjointed and like no story really got enough "screen time" to get invested in it. Still enjoying it though and I may enjoy this book more when I read the rest and re-read this one. Definitely will keep reading, I find the plot/world interesting.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie is is being pursued by a HeNRI agent, plus a madman is after her. Fun and entertaining. This volume contains issues 6-10.

[Mary Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. I wish a woman had helped write it. Maybe it would be less predictable.

[Almudena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho más, Strangers in paradise, pero la serie es muy entrenida, de momento me está gustando

[Bookworm Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love!

[Andres Pasten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vamos al otro, que está muy buena la historia....

[Tanabrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quattro mesi dalla pubblicazione del primo volume italiano, ecco arrivato il secondo numero di Echo, la nuova opera di Terry Moore.
Tra l’altro, quando la scorsa settimana sono passato in fumetteria a prenderlo, la commessa ha borbottato un “Oh, Echo? Bello, anche se non è SoP… ma è sempre Moore, e aiuta a far passare il lutto per la fine della serie”. Sempre più commenti favorevoli riguardo l’altra opera di questo autore, chissà che prima o poi provi a leggermi anche Strangers in paradise.

La storia prosegue abbastanza lentamente, anche perché l’autore è parecchio introspettivo.
Mi piace l’introspezione, quindi ottimo.

Dillon rimane molto sullo sfondo, qui le protagoniste sono Raven, la detective che sta braccando la coppia, e Julie.
Che oltre a ritrovarsi in fuga, braccata dall’esercito e dalla potente Henri, senza praticamente alcun effetto personale e in compagnia di Dillon e di alcuni motociclisti sconosciuti, comincia ad avere anche certi altri problemi.
Come la possibilità che il materiale che ha indosso sia radioattivo.
Come l’essere tormentata dalla Raven telefonicamente, senza sapere di chi potersi fidare a parte i suoi compagni di fuga.
Come il ritrovarsi attaccata dall’assassino pazzo e fanatico, con una mano ricoperta dello stesso materiale della sua placca.
Come l’assistere alla morte dei suoi nuovi amici, come lo scoprire un nuovo potere e quasi una nuova coscienza nella sua placca. Come il pensare di aver ucciso qualcuno.
Come lo sperimentare sogni vividi e realistici, che noi sappiamo essere sue elaborazioni dell’ultimo volo di Annie.

Già, perché sembra che Annie, o parte della sua coscienza, sia ben radicata nella placca, più di quanto sembrava nel primo volume.
E sembra cominciare a emergere, a momenti.

Sarà interessante vedere come evolveranno le cose quando si saprà la verità sulla morte della donna, quando Raven scoprirà il marcio dietro la Henri, quando Julie e Dillon affronteranno i sottintesi della presenza di Julie nel metallo che ricopre il petto di Julie.
E immagino che dietro l’assassino-predicatore ci sia una gran bella storia da raccontare… perché uccide chi parla di quell’esplosione? Cosa vuole da Julie? Vuole prendere i suoi frammenti di metallo?
Come ha fatto a essere già così tanto evoluto rispetto a lei? Ha il metallo da più tempo?

Molte domande, e per ora giustamente nessuna risposta.
Ma la serie dopo due volumi è estremamente piacevole, secondo me merita.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently reviewed Jeff Smith's Rasl. In that review, I mentioned how hard it is to top yourself, especially when you're known for something which is already acknowledged as the best there is. That's Terry Moore's problem here too. Strangers in Paradise is one of the finest series of the last 20 years. Next to Bone, it is consistently one of my stores best sellers. Echo again , like Strangers features a strong cast, especially the main character. Nobody else in comics with the exception of Greg Rucka, gives more of a voice to great female characters. This volume moves the story along fine, and unlike Rasl, it is being published on a regular basis. The art is as good as Strangers. So, if you like that, I would say you will like this.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It begins to make a small bit more sense. The main characters are beginning to be drawn together, and by this I mean two of what will eventually be a much larger cast. But the footwork is coming here, as is the first pangs of those we lose, and the shape of things to come.

Who is evil, and who isn't, and we begin to ask the even more important question here -- what is your definition of evil and how are you wielding it in your assumptions of people? And where does science belong in the black and white of it all?

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent ending! That must've been a really nail biting wait between issues #10 and #11 if you were reading it as the issues came out (and even more agonising if you were waiting for the next trade, but at least then you could find out what'd happened if you really wanted to). There's lots of expositional stuff that goes on in this one, in a good way. Makes you feel like you really know what's going on, although I'm sure we don't at this point. And, of course, the ending means you just want to pick up the next volume straight away and keep reading. Which is what I will be doing...

[Sumit Singla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art, especially some panels where there is no dialogue but just lovely, stunning, striking art. Julie and Dillon are on the run, being chased by the mysterious Ivy - who I haven't been able to gauge yet.

Is she one of the bad folks? Or does she side with the old ones? Guess we'll find out soon, along with the identity of the gloved man.

The story proceeds slower than the previous volume, but is still pacy enough to hold interest.

Haven't read other works by Terry Moore, but based on what I have read so far, definitely someone i'd like to read more from.

[Crushi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the art and writing. It's a bit cliche but I still enjoyed it. Can't wait for the next collection. It's in Black and White which I prefer sometimes. It makes me work a little harder in the imagination department. I'm not so picky as to only like stories in color. If you can make up the characters voices, sound effects, and scenes it's not to hard to add color in your imagination. Good book. Pick up the first one if you're going to read it... this is the second collection.

[Jacobi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is in this is beautiful, and there are some really wonderful wordless sequences in this trade that showcases the power of Terry's art, but unfortunately the overall story is kind of blah.

If my library gets future volumes in I'll check them out just to see the art, but this series isn't doing it for. Part of that could be the time between when I read the first volume and this one. Maybe I lost the plot?

[sonicbooming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 picks up right where it left off. Our young "wrong place and wrong time" heroine is on the run. The government, a contracted investigator/agent, evil corporation, biker gangs, a deranged monkey. Why aren't you reading this?! I feel like this is in the same zone as Y: The Last Man. A future we do not want to happen. Quite a bit of cold-war political commentary going on here and all of it stimulating.