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Clock Striker #2
Clock Striker, Volume 2: The Sharing Society
224 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 10, 2024
Won in a giveaway!
The story continues from the last volume with Cast and Philomena trying to save Klaus, and the introduction of the big bad, the King. We also see what may be glimpses of Philomena’s past.
This volume explains a little more of the worldbuilding concerning Nextkin and Old Kin and the inciting war that set things into place. Now, the languages German and Spanish exist here but so do Zodiac animals and fire wolves, a good mix of fantasy and real-world elements. The animal mutation coding power was super cool though it came with a peeing/marking territory gene for some reason.
Cast is still a spunky, bright-eyed engineer. Not much seems to get her down. I did think it was a little ‘not like other girls’ how she thought dolls, dresses, and flowers were inferior to engineering tools, but it was in response to a sexist, condescending comment. And she’s also like what 10-11 years old, so I won’t read too deeply into that.
Philomena is still mysterious and overpowered, but I enjoyed how the story balanced her strength. She’s extremely lethal but A great example of you can have an overpowered character and still keep the tension and readers on their toes.
Anyway, for a B&W manga, I was pleasantly surprised by the extended colored flashback. I think the pop of color helped dramatize everything more, indicating a clear contrast from the present narrative. The artwork is excellent and shines in fight scenes or with Cast’s different hairstyles.
The ending was intriguing, so I’d read volume 3.
3.5
The story continues from the last volume with Cast and Philomena trying to save Klaus, and the introduction of the big bad, the King. We also see what may be glimpses of Philomena’s past.
This volume explains a little more of the worldbuilding concerning Nextkin and Old Kin and the inciting war that set things into place. Now, the languages German and Spanish exist here but so do Zodiac animals and fire wolves, a good mix of fantasy and real-world elements. The animal mutation coding power was super cool though it came with a peeing/marking territory gene for some reason.
Cast is still a spunky, bright-eyed engineer. Not much seems to get her down. I did think it was a little ‘not like other girls’ how she thought dolls, dresses, and flowers were inferior to engineering tools, but it was in response to a sexist, condescending comment. And she’s also like what 10-11 years old, so I won’t read too deeply into that.
Philomena is still mysterious and overpowered, but I enjoyed how the story balanced her strength. She’s extremely lethal but A great example of you can have an overpowered character and still keep the tension and readers on their toes.
Anyway, for a B&W manga, I was pleasantly surprised by the extended colored flashback. I think the pop of color helped dramatize everything more, indicating a clear contrast from the present narrative. The artwork is excellent and shines in fight scenes or with Cast’s different hairstyles.
The ending was intriguing, so I’d read volume 3.
3.5
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February 4, 2025tl;dr
Picks up where the last volume left off with likable characters, even more world building and consistently good art.
Thoughts
The first volume of Clock Striker wound up being my favorite manga of 2023, and I'm so glad I finally managed to get a copy of volume 2, because it might be another favorite. Clock Striker hits a very particular balance between homage to classic shonen manga, and original story ideas and beats. In my last review, I fretted that the fast pace meant world building was sparse, but there's plenty of world building in here to feed my need to know, and I love the how the sci-fi/steampunk aspects click into the story. Cast remains strongly the heart of the story with an infectious energy and love of science and justice that makes her an extremely likable hero. We also get to learn a lot more about Klaus, with some fun plot twists that I did not see coming. The art is consistently strong, with expressive character work, and some expansive scenery. The more I see of this world, the more I want. I am very much looking forward to volume 3!
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
Picks up where the last volume left off with likable characters, even more world building and consistently good art.
Thoughts
The first volume of Clock Striker wound up being my favorite manga of 2023, and I'm so glad I finally managed to get a copy of volume 2, because it might be another favorite. Clock Striker hits a very particular balance between homage to classic shonen manga, and original story ideas and beats. In my last review, I fretted that the fast pace meant world building was sparse, but there's plenty of world building in here to feed my need to know, and I love the how the sci-fi/steampunk aspects click into the story. Cast remains strongly the heart of the story with an infectious energy and love of science and justice that makes her an extremely likable hero. We also get to learn a lot more about Klaus, with some fun plot twists that I did not see coming. The art is consistently strong, with expressive character work, and some expansive scenery. The more I see of this world, the more I want. I am very much looking forward to volume 3!
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
July 26, 2024
Thank you Quarto Publishing Group, Rockport Publishers, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this awesome book. The action continues in volume 2 of the Clock Striker series which starts off right where volume 1 ends. Same great characters, wonderful, fast-moving plot, sci-fi elements, and non-stop action make this a fast and enjoyable read. I would gladly recommend it to any teen who enjoys fast paced action with elements of sci-fi and can’t wait for the next volume.
August 11, 2025
Just as good as the first volume! I still really love all these characters, the art style and the science-based magic system! It’s such a cool blend of everything. Seeing cowboys and knights on the same page had me kicking my feet. It’s just so fun! I was pausing periodically throughout my read to show my partner some of the panels; the art is SO good.
The story itself is also just really interesting. I’m really loving this manga, I still desperately need to see it animated.
The story itself is also just really interesting. I’m really loving this manga, I still desperately need to see it animated.
May 9, 2025
This is such a delightful read, with a lot of the tropes of shounen material but definitely for readers of almost any age or gender! (So, MAYBE not for extremely young readers more used to board books, but anyone else is fair game!)
Cast is both entertainingly energetic AND a bit infuriating in this, sort of like Taito in the way she demonstrates fighting competence but hasn't quite grasped following directions. Luckily for her, Cast missteps her way into , while her mentor Ms. Philomena Clock gets into a massively epic fight... .
Admittedly, this is a bit hard to read on its own, so I can't really recommend it to newcomers (but absolutely recommended for fans of the first book!). The art and writing are top-notch, though, so if you're looking for a good science-fiction battle story, check it out!
Cast is both entertainingly energetic AND a bit infuriating in this, sort of like Taito in the way she demonstrates fighting competence but hasn't quite grasped following directions. Luckily for her, Cast missteps her way into , while her mentor Ms. Philomena Clock gets into a massively epic fight... .
Admittedly, this is a bit hard to read on its own, so I can't really recommend it to newcomers (but absolutely recommended for fans of the first book!). The art and writing are top-notch, though, so if you're looking for a good science-fiction battle story, check it out!
December 8, 2024
This series is so fun! The covers are so bright and colorful and the artwork gives so much life to the eccentric cast of characters. Philomena Clock continues to be a badass and total goddess! I love how protective she is over Cast. Cast is a great, very brave, very hopeful protagonist.
This volume was a bit heavier on introducing some of the antagonists in the series. That was a little less fun than the past volume, but I'm enjoying the adventure!
This volume was a bit heavier on introducing some of the antagonists in the series. That was a little less fun than the past volume, but I'm enjoying the adventure!
September 19, 2024
Manga is new to our family and when Quarto asked if they could send me these books 1 & 2 for review, I thought we'd take a chance. And score! My teen is really enjoying these books, and I like that the story is so original. The artwork--holy cow, intricate and skilled! Thanks so much for introducing us to a new series! We'll definitely be getting the next two when they are released!
August 3, 2024
A story that relates to science instead of magic, though in some aspects I wonder if it's magic too. They are working towards finding their friend that asked for their help. Things get really crazy in this story. It has some fascinating characters and world building.
December 18, 2024
I'm so inspired
What a great volume! As a black anime fan, it is really great to see something new and refreshing. I wish the Creator the best of luck on his journey producing more and I can't wait to see what the next Volume
What a great volume! As a black anime fan, it is really great to see something new and refreshing. I wish the Creator the best of luck on his journey producing more and I can't wait to see what the next Volume
February 24, 2025
Cool concept, but not really for me. The twist at the end was interesting though.
September 10, 2024
**Note: mild spoilers for volume 1 past this point, you’ve been warned.**
Another one of the sequels I was keeping an eye out for was Issaka Galadima and Fredrick L. Jones’ second volume of Clock Strikers. The series opening was one of my favorite manga releases of 2023, and I have been eagerly awaiting its sequel since.
Titled, The Sharing Society, the story charges right ahead and quickly picked up where the last volume left off. It combined a couple of humorous moments with plenty of action, while also continuing to explore some of the darker and far more complex themes present in the series. It had echoes of the conflict that took place in the first volume, but while the core was similar, this time around it was under vastly different circumstances—which kept the volume interesting as well as moving at a good pace. I flew through this one, and enjoyed every second of it.
This volume was story heavy and threw the characters into a number of perilous situations. Klaus is in a bind. He’s back in Altar and at the mercy of his father. However, there’s trouble in paradise for the Demon Bandits who were his captors, but it seemed like it was a deal/exchange that was always destined to go sideways. On the other side, our Striker and Smith duo, Philomena Clock and Cast, are in pursuit—while also being pursued. Some of the most unexpected twists arrived while the majority of the cast was in Altar, the supposed “sharing society.” The story peeled back the layers of that society and delved into the underlying darkness of the situation, and those were among the most compelling areas of the volume.
And, while a lot of ground was covered, the last chapter ends on a cliffhanger with the beginning of another mystery. However, that nicely set up the potential for the next volume.
Overall, Jones and Galadima have hit it out of the park with the second volume of Clock Striker.
Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Rockport Publishers/ Quarto Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
This review is also posted on my blog, Our Thoughts Precisely
Another one of the sequels I was keeping an eye out for was Issaka Galadima and Fredrick L. Jones’ second volume of Clock Strikers. The series opening was one of my favorite manga releases of 2023, and I have been eagerly awaiting its sequel since.
Titled, The Sharing Society, the story charges right ahead and quickly picked up where the last volume left off. It combined a couple of humorous moments with plenty of action, while also continuing to explore some of the darker and far more complex themes present in the series. It had echoes of the conflict that took place in the first volume, but while the core was similar, this time around it was under vastly different circumstances—which kept the volume interesting as well as moving at a good pace. I flew through this one, and enjoyed every second of it.
This volume was story heavy and threw the characters into a number of perilous situations. Klaus is in a bind. He’s back in Altar and at the mercy of his father. However, there’s trouble in paradise for the Demon Bandits who were his captors, but it seemed like it was a deal/exchange that was always destined to go sideways. On the other side, our Striker and Smith duo, Philomena Clock and Cast, are in pursuit—while also being pursued. Some of the most unexpected twists arrived while the majority of the cast was in Altar, the supposed “sharing society.” The story peeled back the layers of that society and delved into the underlying darkness of the situation, and those were among the most compelling areas of the volume.
And, while a lot of ground was covered, the last chapter ends on a cliffhanger with the beginning of another mystery. However, that nicely set up the potential for the next volume.
Overall, Jones and Galadima have hit it out of the park with the second volume of Clock Striker.
Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Rockport Publishers/ Quarto Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
This review is also posted on my blog, Our Thoughts Precisely
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews