An Epic Road Trip Through Vale’s Past Begins In No One Left To Fight #2

Vale begins his journey back to where he saved the world to celebrate its anniversary. He’s joined by close friends and along the way stops at Mistress Harga’s place to rest up. A lot has changed since the last time he was here. He’ll have to come to grips with these changes while also fighting the traumatic visions that still plague him.

No One Left to Fight continues this fascinating look at what happens after the climax of a big action movie. The bad guy has been vanquished. The world has been saved. Where does the hero go next? In Vale’s case, it seems like he’s tried to stay out of the spotlight a bit. He’s treated like a messiah when he goes out in public and it looks like he’s not entirely comfortable with that.

Artist Fico Ossio does a brilliant job in framing Vale as this glorious hero. There’s an excellent splash page where Vale steps outside to meet his adoring public and light is shining in behind him, creating an angelic glow around the man. The people are gathered around hoping to touch him, speak to him, or just see him with their own eyes as he walks by. They are in awe of him in the truest sense of the word.

Ossio’s color work in No One Left to Fight is top notch. This world is vast and full of life. You can see this in the wide variety of the designs and colors at play not only in the characters, but in the places around them. This is a bright, vibrant landscape.

The rivalry between Vale and Timor came to blows at the end of the last issue and it was just barely stopped by Krysta. Now it’s bubbling like a pot of water just hitting the boiling temperature. On any other world, Timor would be hailed as a hero. He’s saved the city a few times and he’s got a great life. This all pales in comparison to Vale’s accomplishments, so he’s treated like an afterthought. If he were to focus on what he has going on, he would be happy, but he can’t quite get over how everyone treats Vale.

This makes both characters incredibly interesting. Writer Aubrey Sitterson presents this multi-layered approach to each of them. Although Vale is the hero and presumably the main character, Timor is always close by. To compare this to wrestling for a moment, Vale is like Hulk Hogan and Timor is like the Macho Man Randy Savage. Sure, everyone loved Savage, but Hogan is the first – and perhaps only – wrestler an entire generation of fans think of.

Ossio injects so much into each character with their design and facial expressions. You can read a lot into a single glance. Letterer Taylor Esposito adds some additional flavor to these personalities too. A great example of this is a whispered exchange between Timor and Krysta. They’re married and clearly know each other so well that they can have these quick little sidebar conversations and be on the same page in an instant.

Vale’s visions hit him at the worst times and this issue is no different. They show the life he could have had if he took a different path. With all the fame and glory he has, you have to wonder if he’s really happy. Sure, the pubic loves him, but he’s basically alone. Is he close enough to anyone who he can share these feelings with?

These feelings of regret permeate through No One Left to Fight. This road trip is a victory lap of sorts, but it’s also a look at all the things Vale didn’t or couldn’t have as a result of his hero’s journey. That makes for one crazy ride of emotion.

No One Left to Fight already had my money with its comparisons to Dragon Ball Z and Street Fighter. That would have been enough to pique my interest. Where it really excels is in the top notch character work. They offer a perspective into a vast world full of history and personality. I know this is a limited series, but after only two issues, I desperately want to see this as an ongoing as it seems like there’s so much more to explore here. No One Left to Fight has quickly become one of the best books on the stands today.

No One Left to Fight #2 from Dark Horse Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.