Empty Zone Vol. 2: Industrial Smile

Empty Zone #6-10

by Jason Shawn Alexander

Deadly bounty hunters, doomed lovers, and sharp teeth. Corinne and Hank come to Berlin targeting another of Oni's laboratories. They find more than they were bargaining for when they encounter they city's bloody subterranean secret. Collects EMPTY ZONE #6-10.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Cyberpunk, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Graphic Novels Comics

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 7, 2016

Reviews

[RedL. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 You Didn't Brush Your Teeth Stars

I am not sure what happened here. The plotline from the previous volume has become secondary and it has been hardly developed, so gone is also the wonderful pathos that came with it.

Corinne seems in this almost an afterthought, she certainly is not the main character anymore and the depth of her character, with her palpable pain, PTSD but also incredible skills and determination, is diluted, scattered, unrepresented. She keeps seeing ghosts but there's no real reflection on it. The dialogues are also often off. The new storyline with its new monsters did not convince me, too many things were not explained and I am not sure it really has been completely thought out. I was interested in Vic, the doomed lovers were unremarkable. Berlin would be a cyperpunk heaven to explore, yet it was not. I felt there was perhaps more attention to macabre and horror details than to the story as a whole. The art is still absolutely gorgeus and gritty with some truly stunning scenes and yet some parts of it looked a bit rushed.

I am still invested in the serie, I just hope it will get back on track with truly touching emotions.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main 2 protagonists from vol 1 travel to a new country to hunt down a lab. Didnt really do much more than vol 1. More of the same. This had super potential though.

[Frédéric · Rating 2 out of 5]

After an excellent first volume this one leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Semi-cryptic plot, poor pacing, barely legible action, lousy cast-pathetic Bodie and autistic Vik both get an award on that one-and poor dialogues, you name it!

Even Alexander's art-still great, mind you- feels kind of dimmed compared with the previous arc.

Starting with a nice idea and good characters (Corinne was amazing in vol. 1 whereas she's the shadow of herself here), JS Alexander obviously gets lost in his own story and shows once again that a good artist does not necessarily make a good scriptwriter.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second volume it's kind of a let down after first one. It misses drive, story is more chaotic, and not so entertaining. Supernatural surprising twist from first one is already known, and this book doesn't bring anything new, just using settings from first one. Which is not bad, but I was expecting little bit more. Anyway, I would like to see third arc with conclusion, as there are few loose ends left

[Luke Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A damn shame considering how good the first vol is

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting storytelling technique in this volume. We don't see Corinne or Hank for the first few issues. Instead, we're introduced to a married couple on holiday in Berlin. They get themselves into some trouble and Corinne and Hank accidentally come across them while trying to destroy one of Oni's labs. The couple's story gets really dark but original.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is still very good, but with the addition of another writer, the story has become very hard to follow.

[Mike Duke · Rating 5 out of 5]

FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC series!!! The BEST blend of cyberpunk and horror you will find in a graphic novel format. Hands down. There is none higher. Case closed. I love this series so friggin much! Wish to God they would start it back up and do more with it.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb read. Creepy and action packed yet full of heart.

[Jeff Raymond · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering my feelings on the first one, this second book felt completely superfluous and not at all engaging. Graphic novels are typically things I'll power through, but there were moments where I just wanted to toss this aside and be done with it. Little redeeming about the story, but the artwork continues to be really great - I just felt like the story lost the plot entirely.

Not sure I'll continue with this series, though.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just too much of a change from the first volume. The art is still cool but it gets impossible to follow exactly what's happening in some scenes. The story has gone from dark cyberpunk spirituality into a schlock horror side plot, and although the new character Vik is pretty cool overall it's not for me.

Seems like this is the end of the line so unfortunately we won't find out the end of Corinne's story.

[S.R. Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cool stuff. Gorgeous, gritty art; pulpy dialogue; reprehensible villains; slick anti-heroes; and, of course, graphic and well-illustrated violence. Calling it a "lovely" read may be a stretch, but it really is quite a fun one.

[Matt Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately this one does not quite live up to volume 1 - The storyline is not quite as engaging, not helped by some chaotic plotting and pacing throughout. The artwork remains beautiful though and is definitely the high point of this collection.

[Ocean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up toward the end. Interesting cyberpunk horror story. Storytelling was a little bumpy, but the art is amazing and the style is cool. The fourth star is because the art is damn cool. Otherwise I'd go with three.

[Vittra Lindstrand · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.6

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less enjoyable and original than the first- too much like a resident evil story. Read the first volume, the second doesn't add much to the story

[s.j.hannaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% High Grade

Another success ~ Cyber/Steam Punk creepy thrill ride love the graphics & the storey line & I’m so glad this is fiction ... ~

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a pity the series didn't continue after this. I felt like the second volume was where it found it's stride.

[Aquila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, gritty, sexy, bloody.

[Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The continuation of the saga. I hope this series has a conclusion.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure this is the third time I've read this. The story is great with wonderful art. My only problem is that it's been so long, and the story isn't finished.

[Florin Pitea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark. Gritty. Fascinating. Noir meets horror meets cyberpunk. Highly recommended.

[Nicodemus · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE IT!!!

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science fiction series about a bounty hunter with one arm continues

This intelligently-written story takes place in the future and our heroine, Corinne, is a bounty hunter of sorts. She has one mechanical arm and is plagued by bad dreams and ghosts from her chequered past in this post-apocalyptic world. Her new mission, pursuing Oni (from Volume 1) takes place in Berlin where kidnappings are taking place and she meets up with some interesting characters, including ghosts and vampire/cannibals.

Nicely illustrated and if nudity, sex and gory violence don’t offend you, you’ll enjoy this. Well worth a look and there’s a third volume to come.

[Ryan Viergutz]

This is such a ton of coolness. Corinne and Hank, going to Berlin to take out another of Oni's labs, ends up finding a whole bunch of creepy supernatural monsters roaming around it, get in contact with one of their contact's friends, and get some good gothic revenge on the beasts. In doing so the series change a lot more than I'd expected and I'm much eager for the next volume.

[Brian Dickerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course, the art is style awesome. I love Vik! I could see loving a standalone volume about Vik's past. I didn't dig the "30 days of night"-like sections of the storyline.

Jason Shawn Alexander should still be worshipped for his art.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool little vampiric story that never got completed. 🤷🏽 its ok.

[Skye Kilaen]

Not comfortable with how women of color characters are treated in this series, disappointing after how much I enjoyed the first volume.