Meet The Father And Seek The Pilot With Death Orb #2
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
The Father reflects on what led to this world, but he is interrupted by a Lord. The Lord reports that the Rider is still alive, and the Father isn’t pleased. Meanwhile, the Rider is interrogated by a group of renegade scavengers who believe the Rider works for the Lords. Rider is able to convince them that he wants the Lords dead as badly as anyone else. He wants to know where the Father is, and these renegades point him in the direction of a psychic who can locate the Father. She is called the Pilot, and she is locked away in a vault. The renegades and Rider go out to open that vault.
Death Orb #2 continues the strange post-apocalyptic tale by pairing the Rider up with allies and showing us the Father. The first issue left the villainous Father a mysterious figure working behind the scenes, but we are now given the opportunity to find out what kind of person he is.
The renegades that ally with the Rider are a motley bunch. There is the leader, Carvell, his pregnant wife, Hedger, the doctor, Arj, and the unhinged Aleeya. They are a likable bunch and play off Rider well.
The comic expands a little on its lore, but Death Orb is likely better off leaving a lot of it vague. It is a strange post-apocalyptic world somewhere between Mad Max and Enter the Badlands, and that’s good enough to hinge a story upon. The religious leadership of the Lords and the Father give a nice slant to an already distinct and strange tale, and learning more about them could give the reader enough pieces to imagine what happened without laying out a lengthy flashback or complete history.
Alejandro Aragon’s artwork once again impresses with its style and kineticism. Characters are textured well and look grizzled. The overall aesthetic is unique and matches the narrative tone impeccably. Chris O’Halloran’s color work also contributes to a strong overall tone that straddles the border of endlessly grim and frantically insane.
Death Orb #2 expands on the world while keeping a strong forward movement for Rider and his newfound allies. We meet the Father and gain some insight into him, and we learn a little more about how this society works. Overall, it’s a strong read and worth a recommendation. Feel free to check it out.
Death Orb #2 comes to us from writer and letterer Ryan Ferrier, artist and cover artist Alejandro Aragon, and color artist Chris O’Halloran.