Well, the good news is that George Perez's artwork is a bit clearer here than it was in the first issue. The bad news is that this story crosses over into another CrossGen Comics title, and I'm perplexed as to why the events of both books have become so intermingled. It's bound to be confusing for those who read only one of the two books -- it certainly was for me. Furthermore, while the core plot -- Andra Radiant's quest for lost pieces of her power -- is apparent, Lindy's role and that of the gameworld from which she hails are perplexing elements that conflict with the more natural overtones of the other scenes.
Andra Radiant, overcome by a pseudo-amnesiac fog, travels to the homeworld of one of the Sigil-Bearers, Brath Mac Garen. She intercepts a hunting party that's out for Brath's blood, but she declares that no one is to kill him... save for her. Meanwhile, Brath is overcome by prophetic dreams that give him cause to fear for his family's safety while they are in his presence. And on Solus, Lindy finds herself trapped on a barren landscape, one that at least offers safety the ferocity of the giant plasma dog that's been hunting her.
Perez captures the colorful, savage world of Brath quite well here. Andra's warrior garb fits in well with the setting, but it still conveys her exotic nature at the same time. I love the detail the artist brings to Brath's village and the expressiveness to be found in all of the characters. I also loved the ghostly quality Perez brings to Brath's dreams; it serves to set those scenes apart from the rest of the story. The plasma dog is a striking visual, but the more cosmic scenes featuring Danik -- or is it Altwaal? -- are a bit dizzying.
I've gathered that Andra's encounter with Brath is touched upon in Brath #3, but I'm at a loss as to why an event that's crucial to that other title would take place in Solus. I pray that's a practice that won't impact on other CrossGen titles (or at least, those titles I enjoy on a monthly basis), but I suspect that won't be the case.
I'm surprised that Kesel's script doesn't go further to identify changes in setting more clearly. We jump from Brath's world to Solus to whereever Danik/Altwaal is lurking, and the cues as to the locales are minimal. To be fair, though, Andra's quest to retrieve the Sigils, which appear to be shards of her own power, has become much clearer as the driving force behind the plot, and Lindy brings a grounded element to the book to which the reader can relate.
