They say the best horror stories are those in which the monster arrives late, allowing for a major buildup of fearful anticipation. If this is true, then Breath of Bones #2 continues to impress because despite what you might suspect, the real monster isn’t the Golem here. It’s the Nazis. And they just showed up.

Here’s the official word from Dark Horse:

After rescuing an injured British pilot, the town must protect themselves and their secret from the Nazi occupiers. Using clay and mud from the river, they bring to life a giant monster to destroy those who would harm them.

Set in a small Jewish village in the days preceding WWII, we meet Noah, a boy who watches in dismay as his father and all the other able-bodied men go off to fight the Nazis. This move, ironically, leaves the town hyper-vulnerable to the Nazis, and issue #2 concerns itself with the townsfolk’s attempts to hide the British pilot, and deflect the attentions of the Nazis, whom they fear will come marching into town any day now. It’s only after every normal effort is made to keep the town safe that the town elders consider summoning a supernatural protector.

Kudos to Steve Niles who’s show a tremendous amount of restraint and storytelling skill with this run so far. It would’ve be so easy to pull the Golem out right away; allowing this mystic creature to crack some skulls in the first panel. But Niles is playing it smart — the real heroes and the real villains of this tale are far more human. And the Nazis are far more evil than a simple “horror” story could have captured. Niles spends considerable effort expanding on the town’s efforts to defend itself by conventional means — the invocation of the Golem is seen a last resort, and one not without consequence. If there’s one thing I would’ve have liked to seen more of so far, it’s deeper exploration of the Golem’s rich history; a bit of context would have really made issue #2 shine.

I might be in love with Dave Watcher’s art. His use of shadows as a way to build climax are magnificent here — check-out the barn scenes; the man’s art is not a prop for Nile’s storytelling. It is storytelling, and amplifies every ounce of craft that Niles is offering.

Breath of Bones #2 is nearly pitch perfect. Well paced, carefully rendered, and thematically rich. Go get this thing. Now.

5/5

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Max Delgado is the founder and curator of The Longbox Project (@LongBoxProject), a memory project where comics are both inspiration and point of departure. You can check it out here.