Isola 2

Isola

by Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl, Leonardo Favia (Translator)

ISOLA returns!
Following a brush with death, Queen Olwyn and Captain Rook find themselves far off course, without supplies or any hope of breaking the evil spell trapping Olwyn in the form of a magical blue tiger. The companions will face grave new threats and uncover long-held secrets in their quest to find Isola, the land of the dead, where they hope to return the Queen of Maar to human form before war breaks out.
Collects issues 6 through 10 of the Eisner-nominated series

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

Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2020

About the author

Brenden Fletcher is a writer who's worked on DC Comics titles including the bestselling Batgirl of Burnside, Gotham Academy, and Black Canary.

He contributed the acclaimed Flash story to the Eisner and Harvey Award winning Wednesday Comics and has recently launched a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink series for Boom! Studios.

Reviews

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art again is amazing but the story isnt really building much. We learn a little more about the main two but thats pretty much. A little more world buidling. I really came back for the art and will probably return again for the art.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art, ok story.

[Rian *fire and books* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I *think* I understand what’s going on here. I fucking LOVE the colors used for a lot of these scenes. Additionally, this volume felt very cohesive and had a more clearly defined plot. At least to me. Am I still unsure about some of the elements in this book? Yes. But I’m still intrigued.

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

actual rating: 3.5

This was a decent read but the story moves pretty slow and there are a lot of chunks of it that have little to no dialogue which I'm not generally a big fan of. One the other hand the art is absolutely gorgeous so you do have some excellent panels to look at in the meantime. Also it's been awhile since I read the first one so it took me a second to remember what was going on but that's more on me lol. I will probably end up reading the next one when it comes out though, overall it's interesting and pretty but kind of sparse in places with the story.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

More stunning art from Karl Herschl and colorist Msassyk. The more interesting and complex story in this collection makes this volume superior to Vol. 1.



Per comixology, the most recent issue of the comic single issue of Isola is Feb 202o. Over a year ago! Fletcher, Herschl and Msassyk: Let's get the move on! Need more of this.

On my buy, borrow, skip scale: Definitely a buy. You'll want to thumb through the art again and again.

[Maëlys · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆ 4 / 5 ☆

Isola, Vol. 1: 4 / 5



The plot is a little slow moving here which I don’t really mind but I didn’t feel quite the same excitement or sense of novelty I had with the first volume.

In this instalment Olwyn and Rook are still wandering and trying to find Isola. On the way they stubble through a community where all children have disappeared. They suspect the Moro but it seems there is little Olwyn and Rook can do to help them.

Through some visions and spells secrets are revealed and the appearances of other players might shift. At the end of this volume it would seem like the dynamic between our main two characters will shift.

I think that in this instalment we see a more protective side of Olwyn while Volume 1 was more about Rook protecting her, and I really enjoyed that. Allusions to both of their pasts are dropped here and there but I truly can’t wait for their backstories to get a little more substance.

I was thinking this with Volume 1 too but Rook always has the best random side characters helping her. I’m absolutely in love with them all and I wish they’d circle back into the story down the line.

The art of this series is stunning and I’ll definitely come back to it once we have another volume, I’m very intrigued to see where this will go, with what might seem to be higher magical powers being involved and the potential brewing war with Palagrine Rock.

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[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my common complaints about graphic novels is that they overtell a story. You should let the graphics and dialogue guide the story and provide as little narrative commentary as possible. And yet, Brendan Fletcher could use some narration boxes. His spare use of dialogue doesn't do the story any favors. Like the first volume, this is mostly a gorgeously rendered story lacking a writer. The conceit is great. The art is phenomenal, but the panel to panel writing is almost completely absent. I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to because the story is so poorly told. It's hard to believe that this is the same writer as the author of Motor Girl, which has such an excellent sense of how to let a story unfold.

There are plot points and ideas that I would usually love. The spiderish godghostspiritthing that inhabits the girl who looks like the queen, the tigerqueen rescuing a group of children who'd been forced into the shape of other animals, the skeptical mother. Great ideas, poorly executed.

I hope this book eventually gets to a point where it lives up to its potential, and to its art, but I wish these first two volumes were entirely rewritten because it is uninspiring.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Individual issue reviews: #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10

Total review score: 3.65

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ďalší skvelý book, dej sa neposunie veľmi dopredu ale to čo sa tam deje, sa tam deje naozaj dobre. A po vizuálnej stránke je to neskutočná nádhera. To prostredie, tie dvojstránky sú tak úžasne nakreslené, že ma nútilo na nich stráviť viac času, ako na tých s dialógami.. Teším sa na pokračovanie. 4,5/5

[Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art: 5/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters & development: 3/5
Setting & worldbuilding: 4/5

Once again a great volume. The only thing holding it back for me is the lack of emotional connection to the characters. I love estoric storytelling, I love a good mystery, I love piecing things together. Isola has all that in spades; the problem for me is that I find it hard to get invested in the plot because I know so little about these characters, especially Rook. I find it very difficult to care about her journey when I know so little about her, and have otherwise been shown a fairly one dimensional character so far. By contrast, the Queen's character development has been stellar, and is proof that the creators have the chops to create a vague yet compelling character. Hoping Rook gets more love next volume: it would give the story a much stronger emotional connection and give the reader a proper anchor for a deliberately foggy plot.

[DeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did enjoy this second volume of Isola and definitely want to see what happens with the characters in further volumes, the events of this one did leave me somewhat confused. I feel like this series would have really benefitted from a prologue or backstory set up on the world. We run into a number of different clans or peoples and having no knowledge about the structure of the world really shows in this one. The art and color stories are amazing and I would likely pick them up just for that. I'm hoping that in the next volume we get more information as in this one it did feel like a bridge volume where a lot of things started, but were not wrapped up.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful continuation to the first volume! The art and colours are absolutely gorgeous! I was hoping for a bit more sorry and character development (still a bit confused about what's going on), but I would still recommend it! I hope there will be a third volume!

[Jessie (Zombie_likes_cake) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It appears that this series is going for vibes and colors over substance, and you know what? I am totally fine with that. I love looking at these, I love the mystical atmosphere and I love the big role that animals play, and how there often seems to be a link between humans and animals in some shape or form.

With that we made very little progress in getting closer to Isola itself but the side quest that is covered in this volume I quite enjoyed. I found the events of this edition were a little bit easier to follow, a bit less confusing. It probably helped that this one was no longer burdened with the duty of laying out the background of the plot, the last one had to do all the introductory things while also trying to tell its own tale, this one could just rush straight into it and go for a ride. So this one benefits from being No 2.

Not sure when/ if Vol. 3 will see the light of day but I'd read it. I love how gorgeous these are and how they give me a quick animal laden adventure tale, this one has some stunning panels and gets quite creepy in moments. The romance between Olwyn and Rook is quite charming for it is lowkey and can even win me as a non-romance reader over. The ending here was very solid and managed to tie the story of chapter 2 into the bigger picture.

For me: fantastic, quick and beautiful escapist reads, and yes, I take another chapter, please.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think volume 2 is an improvement over the original. The first volume was all about trying to leave, some stuff about why it's happening and what the spirits do and all that. It got a big messy. But this volume starts out as a more episodic adventure around the fantasy world the creators have founded, slowly revealing a larger overarching plot that spans the length of the volume. There's more tenderness, more big varied settings, and a darker twist to it. Yes, the first volume had death and ritual sacrifice and the like, but this one gets into more occult stuff and dark monsters that make it a lot more exciting.

I hope that Isola returns with a volume 3, there's still so much left in the journey for Rook and Olwyn, but knowing Fletcher's spent the past year battling covid after-affects I don't know if Isola is going to return anytime soon.

[Aneta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of this volume felt like filler, tho there was some development in the end. The art is stunning as always. And the slowburn f/f romance, ughh so delicious.

[Ashleigh (ash_and_books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)
TW: blood

RTC?

[ksiazkowy_pirat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drugi tom Isoli bezpośrednio kontynuuje wątek podróży do tytułowej mitycznej krainy, gdzie królowa Olwyn będzie mogła odzyskać ludzką postać. Razem z Rook, jej kapitan gwardii, starają się bezpiecznie dotrzeć do celu, jednak ich podróż nie przebiega bez komplikacji. Kobieta podróżująca z tygrysem wzbudza wiele emocji, a dodatkowy brak zapasów zmusza do ryzykownych decyzji.

Ten tom podobał mi się zdecydowanie bardziej niż pierwszy. Wtedy po skończonej lekturze narzekałem trochę na początkowo chaotyczne wprowadzenie do świata. Po wstępie za sprawą całego pierwszego tomu, nowe wątki w drugim są rozbudowywane w taki sposób, że śledzenie historii było dla mnie znacznie łatwiejsze.

Podobał mi się początkowo niejednoznaczny wątek czarownicy, który zmusza do zastanowienia się nad tym, co jest prawdą, a co złudzeniem. Niektóre strony nie zawierają dialogów i ograniczają się do odgłosów, więc interpretacja wydarzeń często leży po stronie czytelnika.

Jedynym niewielkim minusem, o którym muszę wspomnieć jest powolny rozwój głównego wątku. Wraz z rozwojem akcji się nieco więcej o samych bohaterkach, ale fabuła drugiego tomu skupia się na dwóch wydarzeniach pobocznych, wręcz epizodycznych przygodach, które spotykają kobiety w podróży. Rozbudowuje to świat i dodaje charakteru całej przygodzie, ale nie popycha historii naprzód.

Warstwa graficzną wciąż robi ogromne wrażenie. Z całą pewnością mogę napisać, że Isola to jeden z ładniejszych komiksów jakie kiedykolwiek czytałem. Znajdują się tu piękne kadry, często dwustronicowe, a klimatyczna kolorystyka, która pomaga wczuć się w charakter historii to wręcz wisienka na torcie.

Jestem bardzo ciekawy jak będzie rozwijała się ta historia. Polubiłem obie bohaterki i podoba mi się ten nieoczywisty świat. Czekam na kolejny tom!

[Emily Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sapphic fantasy with the most jaw dropping art.

I genuinely adore this series. The colour palettes and the insane attention to detail and atmosphere in the artwork is wonderful to read.

Volume one of Isola made me second guess if it was sapphic or if they were just gal pals and I was hallucinating. So ty to vol 2 for clarifying that pining a bit more. Whilst a lot is read between the lines there is affection there and a romance beginning to (very slowly) blossom.

I’m glad volume two diverts from the main story’s path slightly because it allowed time to highlight the characters personalities more. It also switched up what could have started to feel a little repetitive.

Rep// Black Sapphic MC, BIPOC Sapphic MC, Black Sapphic SC.


TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.







TW// missing children, magic curses causing body changes, poison, mild violence.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful, cryptic and almost entirely nonsensical, ISOLA #2 is a comic book that bleeds chaos and discontent without any true grasp of how it got to where it is or where it's going.

As with before, the book chronicles a deserter military captain and her young queen, since transformed into a black tiger, who together traverse a clever and unique river of fantasy literature. Rook is an admirable fool, throwing herself into anything and everything for the sake of repaying a debt that was never truly hers. And while Olwyn, the tiger, is only moderately interesting, the need for Rook to play off the animal character begets one or two interesting soliloquies readers rarely encounter in contemporary comics.

ISOLA #2 lacks focus. And in many cases, lacks the context or inciting action that would provide readers with any reason to feel invested in whatever the creative team purports to be the comic's focus. The history of violence and betrayal in the royal family is still horribly muddled. And yet, Olwyn has repeated visions as if in support of a version of the truth the readers have yet to see? It's a complicated draw of the cards and a waste of energy. A flesh-dealing bone witch feuds with a specter of the night? It's clever worldbuilding without any real value to a character-based narrative.

Readers will be hard-pressed to articulate how or why these events come into play, much less explain their resolution. Fantasy storytelling is known for inventing the boundaries of its reality, but here one encounters a tale whose genre fixations are an excuse to manifest a whirlwind of uncertainty simply because it looks, feels, or sounds eclectic. Random, gigantic birds of death. Multi-limbed shapeshifters. ISOLA #2 traffics in the inexplicable.

The art is strong, expressive, and ever on-point. The ferocious contrast between the sun-scalded orange clay of desert valleys and the cool blue evenings on the edge of decaying farmland push readers from one lush palette into another. The comic's composition is particularly strong. For example, as Rook and Olwyn descend a spiral staircase to a valley floor, readers encounter a single, horizontal panel atop the page, before drifting into a sequence of vertical panels, each expressing the scale and precarity of the characters' descent with greater and greater acuity.

If not for the unconventional and by extension unintelligible story, ISOLA #2 might have proven an interesting stretch beyond the limits of what contemporary fantasy comics have to offer. It's too bad none of it makes any sense.

[Chiara (booksandtravels_clem) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Questa serie di fumetti fantasy pecca un po' per quanto riguarda la storia, che non è particolarmente articolata o ben delineata. Ma i disegni, mamma mia. Ogni tavola è un capolavoro, i colori sono meravigliosi.
Isola è un graphic fantasy che unisce molti elementi magici interessanti (sciamani, mutaforma, leggende e incantesimi) ma che vorrei avesse più mordente dal punto di vista della storyline. Questo volume mi è piaciuto un po' più del primo (mi è piaciuta anche la rivisitazione del mito di Circe!)

Sicuramente continuerò la lettura, anche solo per vedere le opere d'arte create su ogni pagina.

[Tamara Morrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to the first volume I loved the art style however i couldn't really get into the story.

I had hoped that the second volume would fix the issues i had with the first but unfortunately i still could not fall in love with the characters or get into the story. I really thought i would like this comic based on the art style and the summary, however i found that almost every issue i was missing information, I wish there was a prologue to give a better idea on how the characters got to where they are.

[cumulonimbus99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

[Deb the Reading Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I am mad at myself for starting a series that had the last volume published in 2020 and is not yet finished, because I'm impatient to learn how this story ends...

But, there was one kid with vitiligo in this story and it made me think of how important representation is.

[zuzu. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, the artwork is absolutely stunning and the colors are gorgeous... but unfortunately, the story and the characters are still lacking. I was actually pretty intrigued by the world presented to us in Volume I, yet in terms of world-building and expansion, this one did very little. So, another disappointment.

[Paulo Vinicius Figueiredo dos Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

O primeiro volume de Isola é incrível. Te coloca em um mundo fantástico onde a magia governa a tudo e a todos. Vemos magos e criaturas estranhas por toda a parte em cenários que transbordam encantamento. Isso foi no primeiro volume. O segundo precisava continuar e aprofundar as sementes deixadas anteriormente. Percebemos de cara que a narrativa iria se focar bastante na relação entre Olwyn e Rook. Ao mesmo tempo ficamos esperando Fletcher comentar mais sobre a maldição usada em Olwyn e os motivos que levaram a isso. Mas, o que vimos neste segundo volume foi uma repetição da fórmula do primeiro, o que não me agradou nem um pouco porque avançou mal a narrativa.

Depois de um final climático no primeiro volume onde vimos que Asher, irmão mais velho de Olwyn, foi o responsável direto pela maldição, Rook e Olwyn se encontram à beira de um rio descansando de suas feridas. Mas, essa calmaria não poderia permanecer por muito tempo já que as forças de Maar se aproximam perigosamente de Palagrine Rock. Caso a rainha não reapareça, uma guerra pode estourar entre esses dois lugares e inocentes podem sair feridos ou mortos nesse choque. Logo de cara a dupla encontra um acampamento de forças de Maar bem próximo à Palagrine Rock. Depois de conseguir alguns suprimentos e fugir com sucesso do acampamento, elas chegam a uma vila onde crianças estavam sendo raptadas e transformadas pelos Moro. Precisando tomar uma dura decisão, as duas seguem em frente até se depararem com Miluse, uma poderosa feiticeira que colocará em xeque a relação das duas.

A arte de Karl Kerschl continua muito boa e o roteiro de Fletcher dá liberdade para o artista explorar o design de personagens e o cenário ao fundo. O resultado são cenários literalmente fantásticos, no sentido de gênero e no conotativo. Se eu posso ser bem ousado, a arte do Kerschl (com muita ajuda das cores da Msassyk) está entre as melhores da Image hoje ficando atrás somente da Sana Takeda (Monstress), da Fiona Staples (Saga) e do Nicola Scott (Black Magick). O mais curioso é o quanto a Msassyk emprega cores totalmente inesperadas para nós, leitores. Eu queria focar nesta resenha na colorista e arte-finalista porque falei bastante do Karl na resenha anterior. Quem espera um tigre azulado em uma HQ? Sério? Ela surpreende, por exemplo, ao mudar as cores da floresta... normalmente esperamos uma palheta voltada para o tom marrom ou verde-folha, mas a Msassyk usa um tom arroxeado. Isso era para dar totalmente errado!!! Mas, não é isso o que acontece. As cores se combinam com as formas delineadas do artista e produzem um efeito inesperado. O mesmo eu posso falar de um pântano; o normal seria esperar um lugar cinzento ou verde-musgo. Mas, ela prefere usar um tom azulado. E dá um ar lúgubre ao local.

O que eu consigo interpretar é que as cores usadas pela Msassyk refletem os sentimentos dos personagens em determinados momentos da trama. Por exemplo, despertar no banco de um rio banhado por uma iluminação escura, porém aconchegante, mostra um momento íntimo do casal. Logo depois temos uma vila que destoa da arte até então porque a colorista emprega cores chapadas em contraste com o brilho de páginas anteriores. Isso se dá porque a vila passa por um momento de luto pelos jovens que foram perdidos. As cores mais cinzentas se mesclam ao fato de Kerschl entrelaçar os corpos de Miluse e Rook em momentos em que ambas começam a despertar sentimentos uma pela outra. A arte da Msassyk é a prova de que cores refletem sentimentos.

Se a arte continua excelente, a narrativa peca por estar estacionada no mesmo lugar. Embora tenhamos tido alguns desenvolvimentos, Fletcher manteve a fórmula do primeiro volume: personagens juntas, obstáculo, separação, reconciliação. A sequência é a mesma ao longo dos cinco volumes. E embora eu goste muito da química entre Olwyn e Rook, e as cenas das duas juntas são fofas, a história não pode ser só isso. É preciso desenvolver outras coisas, como as tramas palacianas que levaram à maldição, quem está em Palagrine Rock e até algum insight sobre o que é Isola. Nada disso foi visto aqui. Tivemos um vislumbre sobre quem é a mãe de Olwyn e um segredo que acaba por abalar a relação entre as duas. Talvez mesmo depois do encontro com Miluse, essa mácula vai continuar a ser trabalhada depois. É muito pouco para um volume com mais de 120 páginas.

Os três primeiros capítulos são construídos de forma episódica e com ligações bem tênues. É no final do terceiro capítulo até o quinto deste volume que temos o aparecimento de Miluse, que é a figura importante aqui. Contudo, me chateou não entender exatamente os objetivos dela. Era realmente só aquilo? Uma feiticeira poderosa que bate de frente mesmo com as habilidades sobrenaturais manifestadas por Olwyn só deseja ser amada? Okay, acho um motivo forte, mas a narrativa não me faz comprar isso. Não são apresentadas evidências suficientes para eu entender o quanto a personagem precisava daquilo. Faltou algum flashback ou alguma cenas com ela sozinha no alto de uma colina ou olhando para o horizonte. Só trabalhar o olhar da personagem ou cenas mais amorosas e/ou quentes não atingem esse objetivo.

O que me animou foi que Fletcher colocou alguns pedaços de construção de mundo aqui e ali. Por exemplo, a imagem acima mostra a imagem de um ser divino que rege este mundo. Ainda temos poucas informações além do fato de que existem cerimônias feitas em homenagem a ele, mas no resto são vestígios. Também vimos como anda a campanha feita por Maar contra Palagrine Rock com pequenos ruídos de informações entregues pelos soldados. Mas, eu espremi ao máximo as informações de um volume inteiro para render parágrafos. E nada além disso. Lógico que o elemento forte é a relação entre as duas protagonistas. Mas, novamente... é preciso trabalhar mais o mundo. Isola é uma baita HQ que me surpreendeu positivamente no ano passado. Mas, a sua continuação me frustrou um pouco talvez porque eu tenha colocado a barra lá em cima. No momento a HQ entrou em hiato e deve retornar por volta do verão americano (entre julho e setembro).

[Ricardo Nuno Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous art but a slowly developing story...
Some facial/body expressions of the characters are remarkable, and give a truly natural feeling to the story.
Awesome world building, with language/expressions, creatures, environments and mythology of its own.

I'm still curious about the heading of the story but I'm starting to worry if the authors are going to deliver in the end.
Almost two years have now passed since issue #10...

Let's hope for the best, for the story, the characters and the readers.

Anyway, go ahead and give it a shot: this could well be one of the most beautiful and skillfully drawn graphic novel of the last decade.

---

Tip: Recommended graphic novels with similar visual styles:
- "The Wormworld Saga" by Daniel Lieske
- the "Love" series, by Frédéric Brrémaud & Federico Bertolucci

[Matthew Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume picks up right where the first left off, getting right back to one soldier's quest to break a curse that turned her queen into a tiger... and then pretty quickly switches focus to a sidequest involving missing children. The side story doesn't move the overall plot forward much, but it is good and provides some backstory and character information. It also gives the volume a complete, self-contained story, something the first volume lacked.

Once again, the artwork is fantastic. Kerschl and MSASSYK are in top form on this book.

It's been a few years since there's been new Isola issues, but I'm holding out hope that the story will continue when the team can manage it.

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the best examples of visual storytelling in modern comics, Isola continues to be a fascinating gem in the world of indie comics. A solid and beautifully rendered volume. Isola looks like no other book on the market as this trio bring about something extraordinary with this series. Fletcher and Kercshl's work on the series continues to be really strong as well, with Msassyk's colors being an absolute standout. I just wish there was more context for the world. . . still.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a detour from the main story as the two main characters get sidetracked by multiple things on their quest towards Isola. There's a lot of implied storytelling and inferred relationships that you have to read into, but the world of Isola is rich and layered if you spend the time digging into it. Plus, the art's drop dead gorgeous and basically the reason I'm reading it, if we're honest.