THE HOLLOWS #2 Review


Bleach THE HOLLOWS is finally back with its second installment. The first issue was one of the more interesting comics I’ve read, there aren’t many like it. There we saw that Tokyo had become pretty much unlivable and these zombie things called the Hollows roam around, and will eat your soul. No, there are no Soul Reapers in this. If you happen to live in the ‘Tree Cities,’ you’re set, but if you’re on street level, there’s always a reason to feel fear. In the last issue we saw our main character Craig journey down into the city and see the horrors of what transpires. He saw people, whom were constantly on the verge of being eaten by the Hollows. This issue is slower than the last one, but that’s actually not a bad thing. THE HOLLOWS is shaping up to be one of the more intriguing titles on the stands.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

Chris Ryall and Sam Kieth continue their crazed collaboration with The Hollows, Part 2: ‘Taking Flight.’ When living above the chaos and soul-stealing ‘hollows’ is no longer an option, can Kobayashi manage to rise above the impending doom that surrounds he and his loved ones…? 

This one starts out with Craig and his family on a balcony. Craig later decides to test out his new weapon, something that he’s going to use to help the people on the bottom against the Hollows. Lets just say things don’t exactly go as planned. Chris Ryall’s writing is very good throughout. He succeeds in making Craig a convicted man of what he sees at street level. It doesn’t come as cheesy. “I have to go help those guys!” it comes as very natural and genuine. I personally like that we get to see a little at the life of being up in the trees and his family. His wife believe it or not is one of the more interesting characters, I hope she gets used more as the series goes on. She has a genuine care for her husband, a greatly written character. (Sadly the kids are pretty generic.) The action begins when Craig goes back down int the streets of Tokyo with his Hollow exterminator gun to help the people he met last time. The Hollows are sadly just plot devices, there’s really nothing special about them separating from the average zombie.

The art by Sam Keith is the most interest aspect of the book. In theory, one could call it really awful, some of the worst art out there. But, it strangely works. There’s an obvious lack of detail throughout, as if it were an early draft of the comic. It’s interesting, if it was highly detailed, the atmosphere just wouldn’t be right. It definitely succeeds in making the Hollows look rather creepy. (I also love how we get some fantastic shots of the Tree cities, gives the reader a perspective of what it looks like up there.) There’s only one cover, and it’s pretty good. It shows Craig flying above the Trees with the Hollows taking up the majority of the bottom sucking up souls.

Overall, THE HOLLOWS #2 is a really good read. It further establishes this unique world of Tokyo  We have Craig whom is developed more as a character, we get to see his family and life in the trees, and…more Hollow action. I’m really liking this series, easily recommended. It’s not like many others, you have no idea what’s coming.

4/5


My name is Daniel (@Destroyer_199), the main guy for comic reviews here at Unleash the Fanboy. I was born in 1995 in the Big Apple, spent my formative years in Staten Island, and currently reside in the awesome state that is New Jersey.

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