The Fallen #2

by Alex De-Gruchy, Michael Montenat & Ron Riley

One of the new series from the Monkeybrain Comics imprint, The Fallen is a curious story that blends a few genres into one. After its first issue, readers were left with an interesting introduction to a new world and a few groups of characters to follow. Here, in issue two, the world expands a bit more and readers are given a bit more to consider for where the story can go. The Fallen has some great potential.

In the first issue, readers were given a whole lot of information about the world and how it came to be the way it looks as the story opens. Readers are told that the events of the story take place eight years after events that were seemingly apocalyptic. In this new world are zombie-like beings that are simply described as crazed cannibals. Still unclear how much they are aware of their prior selves, these beings do appear to maintain some human abilities. They have come about by an event caused by a super powered being. The fusion of these two genres is definitely interesting and even more so are sequences of cityscapes functioning as the backdrop as characters move about on horses in a new western-like society.

Alex De-Gruchy’s story with The Fallen presents the possibility for some very cool scenarios. These once god-like characters are forced to hide in plain sight. The world has turned on these people and they, though possibly better equipped to survive than other human beings, are brought down from their pedestals. So far, readers have been introduced to a few powered individuals and have learned much about the world as it currently exists. The issues are generally short, though they do take some time to get through. De-Gruchy’s writing is, at times, overdone. There is a large amount of exposition to catch readers up in the first two issues, and it weighs the story down at times.

In issue two, readers are given a bit more story about the group from Oklahoma in an unexpected way. The mysterious figure shown last issue turns out to be a super who captures the drunk men and turns them in for reward. It’s a quick sequence but raises a few questions about what those men have done and who this superhero may be. Additionally, the character of Sam Ellis is developed a bit more as readers see him interacting with a hallucination. The scene functions to inform readers that Ellis has some demons, but it is one more layer in an already very compacted young series.

Finally, as a new group of characters are traveling as a convoy in California, they are attacked, though not by the beings known as sleepers. Instead, the group are targeted by other people and it presents yet another dimension to The Fallen. Michael Montenat and Ron Riley do a good job with the art in the series. The action scenes are well handled and the narration is decently off-set by panel choices and movement.

The Fallen presents a lot of possible pathways that can be explored. This could make for a fantastic story, or could put the title in difficult spot in deciding what it is trying to be. Thus far, there is a good bit here to enjoy.