Broken World #2: There is Still Hope For You

In the second issue of Broken World, we find Elena struggling with being left behind during the evacuation and spirals into despair. A more familiar apocalyptic story unfolds with a feeling of anarchy, but instead of a hopeless existence, we see a ray of hope take hold.

The biggest shocker of this issue is the impact that was meant to bring the end of everything. In an oddly anticlimactic reveal, we learn the impact never really happened. It missed them. However, even with this shocking bit of information, I was immediately excited to dive into Elena’s precarious position back on Earth. The character-driven drama makes this a gripping story that is difficult to put down. And while the second issue proves the creative team knows how to keep the drama going with solid character development, the world building steals the spotlight with both the rising prominence of The Children and the potential of an alternative evacuation option. This brings a lot of elements into the narrative that didn’t make it to the first issue and helps to bring a lot of layers to the series.

The time jumps that happen are where the plot starts to get a bit hairy. This was something that happened in issue #1 and while it continues here, bouncing from different periods after the evacuation, it is able to remain coherent and remarkably engaging. In Broken World #2, the story takes a twist from a typical survival story to one with hope for something greater. Whether or not that hope comes to fruition in future issues is yet to be determined, but it frames this issue in a way that feels fresh and different from others in the genre.

The artwork does something interesting in this issue as well, showing distinct differences from the current timeline with that of the one featuring Elena discovering the hidden rocket that could be her ticket to salvation. The blue overlay casts the panels in a bit of haze but help to exaggerate the emotions that are coursing through Elena. With strong execution from the letterer, the story guides readers through a seriously troubling time with powerful character depictions of expression and more.

Overall, Broken World #2 is an awesome continuation on a series that captures a fundamental sense of heart not often found in stories of this nature. The concise execution shows this creative team has a worthwhile story to tell and at just four issues long, the series moves at incredible speed. From the drama to the shocking twists and turns, this is just good entertainment plain and simple.