Strayed #2 Brings Its Themes Together In A Vast Cosmic Tragedy
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Lou’s searches continue. On one planet, he found a flower that holds immeasurable energy, so Kiara’s superiors send Lou to look for more. After their fourth find, Kiara’s superiors want Lou to find the beings that created these flowers. As this happens, Earth’s imperial expansion and warmongering continues. Kiara finds that Lou’s health is badly deteriorating from the repeated astral projections, and his moods are becoming unpredictable. She wants this to stop, but the Premier will stop at nothing to find the beings that created the plants. As such, Major Williams will not let Lou get the rest he needs.
I began to realize how wrong I was about Strayed #1 as I was reading the second issue. While I won’t go back and amend that review (those were my genuine feelings and opinions at the time), Strayed #2 already shows why this series might just be downright brilliant.
In other words, Strayed #2 shows why it’s a cat that’s at the center of this narrative about space imperialism. The reason for it is that Lou is just a cat. He’s a creature that can’t begin to comprehend what harm his journeys are wreaking across countless civilizations. He is genuinely innocent in this process, and he’s also a vulnerable thing that is actively being harmed by it as well.
It adds another layer of brutal tragedy to this vast narrative.
That said, the Premier’s speech about Darwinism and becoming “infinite beings” doesn’t quite sell him to me as a compelling antagonist.
Juan Doe continues to show himself off as a unique and gripping artist. His brilliant wild depiction of Lou’s travels, the planets he finds, and the vast cosmos in between is the glue which holds this comic together. His color palette continues to be visually stunning, and the way he introduces the Premier on the page is awesome.
Strayed #2 shows the strong potential this series has. Now that it’s mechanics are established, the second issue runs with it’s ideas to a vast and cosmic scope while showing the intimacy of the relationship that holds the plot together. Plus, Juan Doe is awesome. This issue gets a recommendation for sure. Feel free to give it a read.
Strayed #2 comes to us from writer Carlos Giffoni, artist and cover artist Juan Doe, letterer Matt Krotzer, and variant cover artist Jim Mahfood.
Final Score: 8.5/10
