Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Jonas Scharf
Colourist: Doug Garbark
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Price: $3.99

Religious extremism, false prophets, gun totin’ hillbillies, oppressive, uncaring governments, extreme military response and just don’t ask me what those drones did to that poor dog! Comicbooks, just as much as any other form of media, hold up a mirror to the times we live in.

Warlords of Appalachia #2 is not alone in sending back this particular reflection of the state of the nation, not to mention the world, and it’s enough to send a shiver down the spine. Taken in context, this is a standard tale of an unwilling loner, in this case Kade Mercer, formerly of the Kentucky Guard, having greatness thrust upon him following a riot in the town of Red Rock.

As the survivors in – Warlords of Appalachia #2 – reluctant leader, Mercer leads the remaining townsfolk to the relative safety of an abandoned coal mine only to find it’s not quite as abandoned as he thought.

Meanwhile in Warlords of Appalachia #2. The ne’er do well President sic’s the Augies on them, that’s the Augmented Airborne Cavalry to you and me, a nasty looking group of mutated oddities with evil most definitely on their minds.

Warlords of Appalachia #2 combination of sci-fi and social politics is an uneasy mix given the current state of the world but it’s accomplished with flair and dynamism plus a large helping of good old-fashioned storytelling.

As T S Elliot might have written: This the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with spectacular artwork and strong narration.

 

 

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker