The Sacrificers, Vol. 2

The Sacrificers #2

by Rick Remender (Writer), Max Fiumara (Illustrator), André Lima Araújo (Illustrator)

The inescapable trauma of Pigeon's childhood abuse turns into blinding rage at a world that never protected him, a rage that he finally has the strength to express in a fashion impossible to ignore. The wealth and love Soluna grew up cocooned by did little to prepare her for the total fall from grace and loss of control she now faces. Through these two divergent lives, a world will be reshaped, and a new god will be born.

Collects issues #7-11

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Dystopia, Comic Book

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2024

About the author

Rick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. He is the writer/co-creator of many independent comic books like Black Science, Deadly Class, LOW, Fear Agent and Seven to Eternity. Previously, he wrote The Punisher, Uncanny X-Force, Captain America and Uncanny Avengers for Marvel Comics.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Everyone's desperate, no comfort nor respite, upheaval/purgatory, an over-the-top, power swap, Trading Places story.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #7-9 ◦ Issues #10-11

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacrificers ups the stakes here with our little birdy boy Pigeon goes full God of War on these fucking gods playing games with his people.

This goes truly insane with how vicious and badass Pigeon becomes. Easily one of the best character turns and after 7 issues of this poor dude being abused and used it's so refreshing to see him take matters into his own hands. On the flipside you got Solanna and her life is becoming worse and worse, as once a god child being treated like garbage. Such a big change for both characters, and really well done.

While a bit overly narrated at points, this is still a great read. Ricky Rick is killin it!

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right.....I knew I shoulda read Volume 1 first🤔

[Estibaliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75, just on par with the first volume, even though it might actually be slightly better than the previous one, with a less muddled narrative.

I'm still enjoying the world building... and still not enjoying Soluna's character that much, though her starting to walk the way of redemption felt somehow satisfying.

We didn't get as much of Pigeon as I was expecting, but his arch, stereotypical as it can be, was pretty fun anyways.

I guess I would give it a higher rating if it was a bit less predictable in its storytelling, and a bit less grandiloquent in the narrative, but still a great example of epic fantasy.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright I may be jumping the gun a bit but this is one of the best original titles I’ve read in a long time. I love superhero stories and they get a little benefit from having a world famous property as their title hero (why they made the HBO penguin show about a Gotham mafioso instead of just a NYC mobster).

This is just a wonderful world of deceit, pain and beauty. It reminds me of Saga in that you really don’t know what to expect or see until it’s happening -

The pigeons son has gone on a god killing crusade - the daughter of the sun and moon loses her godliness. The story switches between someone finding purpose and someone losing it. Just a really interesting story filled with phenomenal art.

I’d recommend this comic to any comic fan, especially fans of other Image comic titles specifically Saga. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remender's fantastic fantasy book about faith, classism, and violence continues and it gets even better. The book gets darker than I expected and goes in directions I didn't see coming. Pigeon's not the same person he was and the change is drastic, maybe too much so. The gods are reeling and its a fun read. I still wished we got more on these gods and some backstory on Foreman. The art was great. Overall, this is a book I hadn't heard much about and am extremely glad to have read it.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pigeon's quest for vengeance against the world kicks off, and Soluna begins her redemption arc as she is forced to roam an ever increasingly dangerous world alone. The disappearance of Luna in the previous volume has thrown the world in disarray, with tidal waves destroying towns and refugees sent fleeing in-land. Believing the populace is growing too restless, a new call for Sacrificers is made, much to the foreman's chagrin.

The narrative doesn't push much further in its second arc, but still quite enjoyable. The artwork remains amazing, with Max Fiumara continuing to craft a gorgeous fantastical setting. André Lima Araújo (who worked with Remender on A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance) fills in for a couple issues, but there's no drop off as Araújo seamlessly fits into the vibrant aesthetic built up Fiumara. The Sacrificers is a solid fantasy series that continues to develop a strong sense of intrigue.

[Jake Kilroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to say if there's anything more rewarding than beholding a good and justified revenge tale. This thing has dual narratives of two folks starting from wildly different places, quite literally, with the one who had nothing gaining greatly and the one who had everything losing substantially. You love to see it. You also love to see someone who has been crushed and heartbroken all his life take it out on the upper-upper-upper elite. The gods deserve this. Oh my them, do they deserve this hearty and heavy fall. Bring it, Pigeon!

[Mendousse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suite de cette série de Dark fantasy scénarisée par Rick Remender.
L'histoire se développe dans cette série qui aura au moins un recueil supplémentaire. On poursuit le parcours de 2 personnages qui sont le négatif l'un de l'autre : un qui n'avait rien et qui se retrouve dépositaire d'un pouvoir démesuré et une qui avait tout mais qui a tout perdu.

[Yoshiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

POPKULTUROWY KOCIOŁEK: Album urzeka już od pierwszych stron, wykorzystując sprytny zabieg narracyjny, gdzie sztuka staje się preludium do głównego wątku. Narracja cofa się, by opowiedzieć poruszającą historię życia Noom, malując obraz jej motywacji i tragicznego poświęcenia. Jednocześnie warstwa graficzna bezlitośnie ukazuje konsekwencje zdrady i rozpaczy. Widzimy króla, który w imię wyższego dobra poświęcił własną córkę, lecz jego nadzieje legły w gruzach – miasto zostaje zniszczone, a on sam, targany rozpaczą i frustracją, rzuca się do ataku. Ich bóstwo, Aquatica, wydaje się obojętne na błagania króla, a nawet gdy staje do konfrontacji z Luną, zachowuje stoicki spokój.

Jednak to los Soluny w tym zeszycie chwyta za serce najmocniej. Podczas gdy słowa narratora odsłaniają fragmenty jej przeszłości, kadry komiksu bezlitośnie konfrontują nas z jej teraźniejszością. W tym wymiarze czasowym słowa tracą na znaczeniu, ustępując miejsca sugestywnym obrazom i paralelom, które sami musimy dostrzec. Luna opowiada o własnych zmaganiach, być może o swojej decyzji, by porzucić żerowanie na niewinnych. Nie przypuszczała jednak, że pewnego dnia jej własna córka będzie musiała uciekać, by ratować życie, pozbawiona mocy, z którymi przyszła na świat.

Postacie są tu więc najważniejszym punktem scenariusza. W drugim tomie mamy okazję bliżej poznać ich motywacje, pragnienia i lęki. Remender nie boi się ukazać ich słabości, co sprawia, że stają się one jeszcze bardziej autentyczne.

Z drugiej strony, relacje między bohaterami są skomplikowane i pełne napięcia. Remender bardzo dobrze balansuje między akcją a rozwojem postaci. Konflikty, zarówno zewnętrzne, jak i wewnętrzne, sprawiają, że każda interakcja ma swoją wagę...

https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/cieni...

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second Sacrificers volume picks up directly from the first's big twist, in that we find Pigeon on the upswing, off to kill some gods, and Soluna on the downswing, hungry, alone, and...poisoned? (Not sure what the deal is with the smokey black plague that's infested her.)

The book largely follows these two trajectories, with things getting worse and worse for Soluna and everyone around her (turns out, with the gods in chaos, the world is in chaos too), and things getting...well, not exactly better for Pigeon, but he's certainly able to, uh, take out his anger on something. This being Sacrificers, even a superpowered Pigeon is still going to experience great sadness, like discovering his family (who hated him) is dead (though they're actually not because they're traveling with Soluna - but Pigeon's beloved sister might soon be dead because she and Soluna were both plucked to be sacrifices).

And the hits keep coming, with the gods demanding more god-juice, which means another round of sacrifices. We spend a bit more time with some new gods and the juicemaster, expanding the world somewhat. I'm definitely engaged in the story here, though I'm a little hopeful for maybe one moment of things working out for somebody, anybody.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sacrificers, volume 2, Rick Remender etc
#7 - "Eventually, the burdens become easier to bear. And in that transformation... something beautiful happens."
#8 - "He was never even given a name. You don't make livestock."
#9 - "His hard heart is a weapon for him. For his benefit. To cut it all down.. and start anew."
#10 - "You look like you could use some help."
#11 - "The romantics have lied to you. There is great ugliness in the world.. And in no small quantity. Art and poetry are merely clever ways to paint over the hopelessness this truth inspires.."
#12 - This sets us up for dynamic follow-up

[Travis Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good volume 2 to the Sacrificers, I had to re-read vol.1 because it was too long between volumes for me. Maybe a little slower on the plot for my tastes but still good reading. I am a big fan of Remender and almost always like his writing, no changes here. He has a good narrative going on and I especially liked the duality of stories from Pigeon and Soluna. A bit of a role reversal was a cool touch for both of them that I liked. Looks like Pigeon is one pissed off bird and his power limit has yet to be seen. Art is great as always from Remender books. Looks like vol.3 is due in may 2025, that is exciting.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a step down from the first volume as the story spins its wheels somewhat. Pigeon in on a trail of vengeance and Soluna is a refugee, looking for warmth and a bite to eat (though she's also been infested with some sort of black liquid that seeps out every night and kills everyone around her?). The artwork continues to be a highlight, even though Fiumara doesn't illustrate every issue. Andre Lima Araujo's work is a nice complement. And the coloring carries a lot of the weight. I'll still look forward to volume 3 and hope things get back on track somewhat.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, volume 2 in contrast to volume 1 is predictable and have the characters support the story instead of the other way around. "This needs to happen, so I can teach the reader an important lesson. Therefor the character needs to act this way and end up here...".
The "important lessons" are teenage level stuff. I am constantly surprised by what demographic writers think they write for these days.
Other than that the art stays good, the writing is ok and the action picks up. Unsure if I will read Vol 3 or not

[Travis J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good second installment but the storytelling is feeling rushed and the world building has taken a backseat—we see cool things happen but I struggled understanding why or how. Overly relies on narrative text, would prefer more dialogue. But interesting developments and v curious to see what happens in the next volume. 🌊🩸🔱🔥

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️

[Eric Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

No complaints. Great. Good story. Good characters. No confusing panels this time. I like the messy art.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maintains its high quality from the first volume. Love the art, perfect for the story. The story itself is nuanced and our two main protagonists have clear, interesting and divergent story paths.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tides really turned for the two mains. Been a while since vol 1, took me a minute to remember the plot of this.

[Xroldx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is outstanding

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

One sacrifice comes back to become a god-killer. A goddess princess is thrown below to survive without her glow. Quite brutal and interesting.

[Mateusz Nowowiejski · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 - 04.2025

[Bus · Rating 5 out of 5]

esta serie es espectacular. vaya mundo ha creado. Tomo quizás de transición pero en cualquier caso merece la pena el viaje. Con lo flojo que estaba remender… vaya resurrección

[Andres Pasten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sigue bien, tremendas escenas de pelea de Fiumara

[Rorscharch71 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 4
Art 5

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is dark, but captivating and the pacing excellent.

[Ziyad Baksh · Rating 5 out of 5]

first steps back

Pigeon and Solanna take seperate paths adjusting to the choices they made and the new life they created.

its a solid work.

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the first volume was a telling of the City of Olemas from the perspective of the sufferer this second volume explores what would happen if that person left their confines and argues the extreme revenge they would enact. It's a fun exploration of the concept of the City of Omelas with a focus on bloody revenge against those in power. It does have a bit of juvenile edginess what with killing all those in power even ones who seemingly meant good and didn't know the full extent like Aquatica. Props to the author for having each trade really feel like a complete story rather than just the collection of individual issues of a larger overarching story.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

Pigeon returns home to try to help his family but finds his village has been decimated by storms from the uncontrolled tides of Luna’s abandoned post. Soluna wanders the wilderness and is attacked by a mysterious inky blob. When Pigeon is discovered by the kingdom’s monk, he is chastised for not carrying out his sacrificial duty correctly and sent to Aquarius’ kingdom in order to make things right with the gods. Meanwhile, Soluna wanders into a different village looking for help but is spurned there because everyone believes her to be a beggar.

Our two protagonists are not having a great time of things now that the world is being destroyed, but I'm on board with Pigeon's plan to rise up and use his new found power to show the gods they can't just keep taking from helpless people. I'm also tremendously scared for Soluna and all the people she's around, so the this powerhouse creative team has done an excellent job getting me to buy into the plights of both characters. This is one series I eagerly anticipate every week when I go to the local comicbook shop, and I'm so thankful that the next issue is already waiting for me.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12