Volume two of Xenozoic Tales is the very definition of mixed emotions for me. I'm glad to finally get a chance to read this well-regarded series, but the downside is that the series ends on something of an unresolved cliffhanger, as "lost" series tend to do. The second volume of Xenozoic is less of a collection of short stories, as the first one was for the most part, and more of an over-arcing story starting to develop. Schultz still makes the stories engaging on an issue-by-issue (or chapter-by-chapter) basis, but the general feeling is that the larger story is starting to take precedence, and that big revelations about one of the lead characters, the truth of the cataclysm and the realities of the mysterious Grith are coming. And while I was a little disappointed not to get the revelations that were promised, Schultz does such a good job with the build-up that the stories are enjoyable on their own merits.
While the first volume of Xenozoic focused largely on exploring the world that Schultz had created, this second volume features stories that explore the dynamics of that world a bit more from a human and political standpoint. The shamanistic tradition that protagonist Jack Tenrec espouses is tested by scientists and politicians who want to embrace some of the same exploitative allegory for environmental science and politics in the modern age, this makes room for some pretty major status quo changes and a change in the focus of the series. What was once a story of exploration and adventure in the pulp vein becomes a more serious story about the fight for the future of a species, or at least some of their major cities.
This is not to say that Schultz loses the adventurous feeling that made the first volume so enjoyable. Within these pages are the story of a dangerous artifact from the past being discovered and sabotage forcing Jack into a battle of wits and physical prowess against a dinosaur. There are also several exciting chase scenes, including a seaborne chase which shows off Tenrec's smarts instead of his physical abilities. Though the surrounding details of the stories are steeped in political maneuvering, the general sense of pulp adventure continues in these stories.
Another holdover from the first volume is the beautiful look of Schultz's art. If anything, the work is even more lush and detailed in these pages. I was recently blown away by the full-color artwork of Steve Epting on Crossgen's El Cazador, and it is that kind of work that Schultz really reminds me of here. The dinosaurs, machines, boats and scenery that mixes photorealism and imagination in equal measure speak of both plenty of research and a lot of talent, and though I have the pleasure of reading these stories in collected format, I can only imagine that when they were first coming out, there was a sizable delay between issues as Schultz tried to keep this level of detail up.
Which brings me to my one real complaint about this volume, and that's the unfinished nature of the whole thing. Because Schultz had started building more connected stories and a larger over-arcing plot in these tales, there's a definite sense of a lot of build-up and no big finale here. He does close out with a short afterword where he reveals a couple minor plot details, but the bigger mysteries of where Hannah comes from and what the Grith are really up to are left in the dark. This is probably a good thing, if Schultz does eventually complete these stories, but it results in a bit of dissatisfaction when you finish this volume and realize that we might not ever see the real end of the story.
