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Island #2
Island #2
SECOND ISSUE OF THE OVERSIZED COMICS MAGAZINE!
This issue introduces SIMON ROY’S (PROPHET, Tiger Lung) tale of cannibals in space.
This issue introduces SIMON ROY’S (PROPHET, Tiger Lung) tale of cannibals in space.
Paperback
First published August 9, 2015
2 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Emma Ríos
137 books103 followersEmma Ríos Maneiro is a Spanish cartoonist and illustrator.
Rios was born in Vilagarcía de Arousa, Spain in 1976 and early in her life developed an interest in drawing. She graduated in Architecture from the University of A Coruña.
Ríos worked as an architect for some years, while being active in the Spanish independent comics and fanzine scene. In particular, she self-publishing her comic book APB (A Prueba de Balas) (meaning: 'bulletproof') through the collective Polaqia.
In 2007 Ríos left her job as an architect to become a full-time comic book artist. Since then she has worked for various mainstream American publishers, such as Boom! Studios, Marvel, DC and Image Comics. At Image she co-created the series Mirror with Hwei Lim and Pretty Deadly with writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. The latter comic book earned her an Eisner award for Best cover in 2020.
Rios was born in Vilagarcía de Arousa, Spain in 1976 and early in her life developed an interest in drawing. She graduated in Architecture from the University of A Coruña.
Ríos worked as an architect for some years, while being active in the Spanish independent comics and fanzine scene. In particular, she self-publishing her comic book APB (A Prueba de Balas) (meaning: 'bulletproof') through the collective Polaqia.
In 2007 Ríos left her job as an architect to become a full-time comic book artist. Since then she has worked for various mainstream American publishers, such as Boom! Studios, Marvel, DC and Image Comics. At Image she co-created the series Mirror with Hwei Lim and Pretty Deadly with writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. The latter comic book earned her an Eisner award for Best cover in 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 4, 2015
beautiful work, some really fun and interesting storytelling and i especially enjoyed the writeup on hypothetical brain transplants
September 22, 2015
This issue is the second on in the series and unfortunately it wasn't as interesting or captivating as the first was. There is the continuation of Rois' and Ludroe's stories and the introduction of Simon Roy's story but out of these 3 I didn't really care for the Rios or Ludroe stories all that much. Whilst I did like the introduction of Roy and his storyline (as the ideas of native cultures and space-tech worlds always sounds intriguing when combined) the story hasn't fully 'got-going' yet and so there's potential there, but I don't know where we're going with it.
The first 6 pages are illustrated by WillKirkby and I have to say that this was by far the most exciting, beautiful and captivating part of the whole magazine. I really enjoyed the pink/purple hues and sprawling, intensely detailed pages that he created. There's some peculiar animals and some lovely design work. Not really a story going on, but certainly something to look at and be in awe of so I would give his section a 4*s.
Then we finish up the Ludroe story which I said in my last review I wasn't a huge fan of. Not only am I not into Skateboarding, but the art style was really not one I enjoyed particularly making the story itself just a 1.5* overall. I didn't really care for it, but it wasn't awful. I think that the characterisation and the design work just didn't capture my imagination at all sadly and I couldn't get behind the story.
Then it's Simon Roy's story and as I said in the intro this story seems to be a blend of sci-fi techno-age meeting ancient tribe culture. We have some expansive scenes of a world that has both hulking structures of machinery and metal combined with overgrown forests and small tribe people. This story focuses on a new recruit who's unlucky enough to discover something he doesn't really understand. The story is interesting and has potential, but we're not fully invested yet so I look forward to the continuation and seeing what Roy will do next. 3*s
Emma Rios' story for this issue is the second (and final) half of the story she began in issue #1. The art style is the same and some of the page arrangements were good and interesting because they passed beyond generic boxes, but honestly the story itself is a little confused and it's not always too clear what is actually happening. By the end we do understand, and it is a subject which is interesting (transplants and body confinement) but honestly the way that the story was told kind of detracted from the actual art and concept for me. If it had been a little less muddled maybe I could have become more invested, as it was it was just a 2* read.
Finally we have two articles, one by Miguel Alberte Woodward MD and the other by Robin Bougie. The Woodward article relates to Emma's comic piece and explains some of the ideas which she adopted in order to make the story believable and interesting, however I will say that for me it was just somewhat dull and didn't really hold my attention at all. 1.5*s
The Bougie article was interesting as it's about a hijacking that took place and the Italian man who did it, but honestly I don't really 'get' why it was included in this magazine as there were very few pictures and those that there were just didn't hook me at all. It's an okay article and it's interesting enough, just felt a little bit 'tacked-on' at the end.
Overall I can only give this issue a 2* rating because it is just an okay read, but I still have hope for the next ones in the series because of course the content is ever-changing and they're always getting new people in to work on the magazine. I do own issue #3 and I intend to read it soon so I hope that the continuation of Roy's story and the fact that the Rios and Ludroe stories are over means that one is of a far better quality. Plus I did love the Will Kirkby pages as I've said so it's not all bad! :)
The first 6 pages are illustrated by WillKirkby and I have to say that this was by far the most exciting, beautiful and captivating part of the whole magazine. I really enjoyed the pink/purple hues and sprawling, intensely detailed pages that he created. There's some peculiar animals and some lovely design work. Not really a story going on, but certainly something to look at and be in awe of so I would give his section a 4*s.
Then we finish up the Ludroe story which I said in my last review I wasn't a huge fan of. Not only am I not into Skateboarding, but the art style was really not one I enjoyed particularly making the story itself just a 1.5* overall. I didn't really care for it, but it wasn't awful. I think that the characterisation and the design work just didn't capture my imagination at all sadly and I couldn't get behind the story.
Then it's Simon Roy's story and as I said in the intro this story seems to be a blend of sci-fi techno-age meeting ancient tribe culture. We have some expansive scenes of a world that has both hulking structures of machinery and metal combined with overgrown forests and small tribe people. This story focuses on a new recruit who's unlucky enough to discover something he doesn't really understand. The story is interesting and has potential, but we're not fully invested yet so I look forward to the continuation and seeing what Roy will do next. 3*s
Emma Rios' story for this issue is the second (and final) half of the story she began in issue #1. The art style is the same and some of the page arrangements were good and interesting because they passed beyond generic boxes, but honestly the story itself is a little confused and it's not always too clear what is actually happening. By the end we do understand, and it is a subject which is interesting (transplants and body confinement) but honestly the way that the story was told kind of detracted from the actual art and concept for me. If it had been a little less muddled maybe I could have become more invested, as it was it was just a 2* read.
Finally we have two articles, one by Miguel Alberte Woodward MD and the other by Robin Bougie. The Woodward article relates to Emma's comic piece and explains some of the ideas which she adopted in order to make the story believable and interesting, however I will say that for me it was just somewhat dull and didn't really hold my attention at all. 1.5*s
The Bougie article was interesting as it's about a hijacking that took place and the Italian man who did it, but honestly I don't really 'get' why it was included in this magazine as there were very few pictures and those that there were just didn't hook me at all. It's an okay article and it's interesting enough, just felt a little bit 'tacked-on' at the end.
Overall I can only give this issue a 2* rating because it is just an okay read, but I still have hope for the next ones in the series because of course the content is ever-changing and they're always getting new people in to work on the magazine. I do own issue #3 and I intend to read it soon so I hope that the continuation of Roy's story and the fact that the Rios and Ludroe stories are over means that one is of a far better quality. Plus I did love the Will Kirkby pages as I've said so it's not all bad! :)
December 24, 2023
I really enjoyed the world building in this issue, but ultimately the only story that blended the fascinating world the author created into a compelling story that had me hooked was Simon Roy’s “Habitat: Part One”. Roy’s story was a sci-fi story of a figurative modern Aztec style state where a highly militarized society targets the weaker “Civvie” population: kidnapping and murdering them before the victims are cannibalized. The artwork by Roy is exceptional and he immediately hooks the reader into wanting to purchase the next issue in order to see what happens to the protagonist: Cho.
Unfortunately the other stories didn’t have the same impact. “Dagger Proof Mummy” by Ludroe was a functional story, and maybe to a reader who shared Ludore’s passion for skateboarding the story would click better. But for me it just was a passable story with a supernatural element that I found confusing and somewhat convoluted.
I.D. By Emma Rios was exceptionally drawn, but I was somewhat undecided about the color scheme. It was inked in a light red, was a bit distracting at first, but it sort of did add to the sanitary scientific theme of the story about a corporation that performed brain transplants. I think the story showed some great promise, but unlike with Roy’s story, Rios didn’t quite get the chance to hook the reader. The first several pages were just an information dump where the science was explained to the main character who is considering the procedure, and it isn’t until we see the interaction between Noa and Charlotte that the story starts to have the human element that begins to get the reader invested in the characters. I wouldn’t mind continuing the story to see where it goes, but from this issue, the story was a bit lacking.
Unfortunately the other stories didn’t have the same impact. “Dagger Proof Mummy” by Ludroe was a functional story, and maybe to a reader who shared Ludore’s passion for skateboarding the story would click better. But for me it just was a passable story with a supernatural element that I found confusing and somewhat convoluted.
I.D. By Emma Rios was exceptionally drawn, but I was somewhat undecided about the color scheme. It was inked in a light red, was a bit distracting at first, but it sort of did add to the sanitary scientific theme of the story about a corporation that performed brain transplants. I think the story showed some great promise, but unlike with Roy’s story, Rios didn’t quite get the chance to hook the reader. The first several pages were just an information dump where the science was explained to the main character who is considering the procedure, and it isn’t until we see the interaction between Noa and Charlotte that the story starts to have the human element that begins to get the reader invested in the characters. I wouldn’t mind continuing the story to see where it goes, but from this issue, the story was a bit lacking.
October 18, 2015
This issue features part 2 of Dagger Proof Mummy and I.D, which started on the previous issue and end here. They're both as good as their first part (check my Island #1 review) but I can't say much without it being a spoiler. Just trust me, it's VERY good shit.
The third story is a new one and it's by Simon Roy. It's set in a futuristic yet cryptic and ancient world. The action takes place in a kind of toroidal space station which is filled with vegetation and clay ruins. Civilization looks tribal and aztec-like, yet they have some good technology such as mechanical suits and 3D printers, which is certainly a curious thing and is what makes you wonder what the hell happened. So, the young protagonist is becoming a soldier for a kind of army that fights again other group. And then he founds something very important that both of them want. Beautiful art and thrilling storytelling, I can't wait to see what happens with this guy, but it comes back on Island #5 and I'm gonna cry.
First 6 pages are ASTOUNDING illustrations by Will Kirkby. They're undescriptable. Just put on some chill music and watch them for a little while.
I'm utterly craving for Island #3. I'm already at a point in which I can be 100% certain that what it's gonna be there is going to be top-notch material. Besides, it's gonna have 3 completely new stories!
The third story is a new one and it's by Simon Roy. It's set in a futuristic yet cryptic and ancient world. The action takes place in a kind of toroidal space station which is filled with vegetation and clay ruins. Civilization looks tribal and aztec-like, yet they have some good technology such as mechanical suits and 3D printers, which is certainly a curious thing and is what makes you wonder what the hell happened. So, the young protagonist is becoming a soldier for a kind of army that fights again other group. And then he founds something very important that both of them want. Beautiful art and thrilling storytelling, I can't wait to see what happens with this guy, but it comes back on Island #5 and I'm gonna cry.
First 6 pages are ASTOUNDING illustrations by Will Kirkby. They're undescriptable. Just put on some chill music and watch them for a little while.
I'm utterly craving for Island #3. I'm already at a point in which I can be 100% certain that what it's gonna be there is going to be top-notch material. Besides, it's gonna have 3 completely new stories!
December 23, 2024
The second issue of this anthology series continues in it's experimental take on comic book storytelling.
I think I liked this one more because it brought in Simon Roy, from Prophet fame, and his story fit so well into this anthology. It's weird, strange, and cool, and it really hit the right notes for what I was hoping this type of anthology would be.
Emma Rios finishes her story about people looking for new bodies and having basically, brain replacement surgeries to do so. This one was cool but it ended with an actual doctor explaining the intricacies of such procedures, and that was a bit verbose in my opinion.
This issue was better than the first in my opinion. Let's see if issue 3 continues this trend.
I think I liked this one more because it brought in Simon Roy, from Prophet fame, and his story fit so well into this anthology. It's weird, strange, and cool, and it really hit the right notes for what I was hoping this type of anthology would be.
Emma Rios finishes her story about people looking for new bodies and having basically, brain replacement surgeries to do so. This one was cool but it ended with an actual doctor explaining the intricacies of such procedures, and that was a bit verbose in my opinion.
This issue was better than the first in my opinion. Let's see if issue 3 continues this trend.
December 14, 2020
Brandon Graham's inventive weird and comics anthology continues offering up stories that often are more confounding than they are compelling, and seemingly stop mid-thought so they can continue in some future issue. The result is something that definitely won't be for everyone, but there's enough promise here that curious readers will keep coming back to see if it gets any better.
August 5, 2016
La historieta de Simon Roy me ha gustado bastante como era de esperar, el dibujo pulidísimo comparado al de su trabajo en "Prophet" recuerda al Bourgeon de "La fontana y la sonda". Un típico bildugsroman de aventuras de cf, muy clásica, muy al estilo europeo, pero que funciona muy bien y vaya momento de sentido de la maravilla cuando te enseña donde transcurre la historia. Pero no deja de ser una introducción y con la lentitud de Roy supongo que veremos la continuación de esta historieta para el número 23, si es que la colección existe aún para entonces.
August 23, 2015
I loved Emma Rios's story, and the others are brilliant as well. This issue might be better than the first.
August 1, 2016
Stories and art were solid with very interesting ideas.
September 29, 2016
The Simon Roy story is fantastic. The Emma Rios story doesn't do anything for me but the art is nice. And I just don't get Dagger Proof Mummy.
April 30, 2018
I enjoyed this collection of stories and the different styles both in art and storytelling. I would read more of these.
August 29, 2018
Although less chaotic than the first issue, focusing only on three stories, Island: Issue Two fails to capture my attention enough to want and pick up the next issue(s).
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews