Kill All Immortals II #1 – Back in Blood

“Succession meets John Wick” is perhaps the best way anyone could describe what Kill All Immortals is in a single phrase. The series, written by Zack Kaplan (MASTERMINDS) and drawn by Fico Ossio (No One Left to Fight), began its original run on July 10th, 2024, and ended on January 8th, 2025.

Kill All Immortals II (2) is bigger, bloodier, and better in every way. Kaplan took what he learned from his run on the first series and brought it back in bold with this first issue.

You don’t have to have read the original five-issue series to fully understand the story of Kill All Immortals II, but it does add helpful context. Especially when it comes to the flavorful cast of returning characters. The lead, Frey, is particularly changed by the events of the original series, but context clues are provided through dialogue with other characters.

The story for this direct sequel is off to a running start that is both bloody and full of complex inter-family dynamics.

The art by Fico Ossio is unique in a good way, unlike anything the big two publishers are doing currently. Ossio’s art is stylish and modern, with tons of laudable tiny details making the glossy surface of a table or the wrinkles in clothing really pop. Thiago Rocha’s colors add a fantastic layer to the brutality and the splendor of the first issue, while Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s letters are clear and impactful without taking anything away from the art or colors.

Characters both look and act like the Vikings they once were. Frey has Norse tribal tattoos, she and her brothers use old Norse words in heated moments, and their father, Erik the Red, cuts the imposing image of a Viking adventurer.

Ultimately, everything works very well together, but the issue does move extremely fast as it bounces from one character to the next while also changing locations at the same time. The pace caused some light whiplash, requiring the reader to manually slow down at times rather than be carried along by the pace of the story itself.