The Seasons is a compelling new creator-owned series by Rick Remender and Paul Azaceta that offers something endearing and original. The first issue introduced one of four sisters named Spring. In The Seasons #2, the creative team opens up the story to the remaining three sisters with incredibly different parts to play. The orphans live incredibly different lives, with incredibly different demeanors, but together may amount to something truly spectacular.
The Seasons #2 opens with Autumn, who narrates via her notebook as she rides a motorcycle towards a castle in the far distance. Behind the castle are moons and giant worlds, creating a sense of wonder and mystery. She’s an adventurer who encounters a giant ape and a mysterious mirror in stride. The fantastical is alive and present in this character.
After a dire turn of events, the story switches back to Spring, who is more or less our main character. She’s aware a traveling circus in town is bad news thanks to a letter from Autumn and seeks her sister Winter so they can get out of dodge. This allows the creative team to explore who Winter is for the first time, and her demeanor, fittingly, is chilly at best. We also see how like the season, Spring is positive and hopeful.
Check out that vista!
Credit: Image
A running joke of Spring talking to her goldfish works well, adding to the overall classic comic strip feel. Spring is very easy to like, with her loud expressions and acting as the surrogate for the reader. She’s way less extra than Winter or, in another scene, Summer, who is something of a prima donna.
Matheus Lopes’ colors continue to add warmth and otherworldliness that separates this book from most. There’s a fantastical element not always present, but it shines through, like in the opening with Autumn or whenever the circus clowns show up. Azaceta’s design of these circus characters is bright and inventive, yet they don’t quite fit in the more realistic environments of this world. That juxtaposition creates a sense of unease and unnaturalness that’s unnerving.
Similar to the first issue, there are scenes that feel extended not to tell us anything in particular but to create a vibe. Take, for instance, Spring making breakfast. Over two pages, she cuts grapefruit, squeezes it for juice, and makes a waffle. She speaks of roles for each of the sisters, but the enjoyment you’ll have in watching the breakfast be made is its own little delight. There’s a fun whimsy, albeit it may try some reader’s patience.
The Seasons #2 deepens Rick Remender and Paul Azaceta’s creative universe by expanding its cast of vividly drawn, multifaceted sisters. The narrative artfully shifts from Autumn’s enigmatic, motorcycle-driven quest through realms of moons and mysterious mirrors to Spring’s endearing, relatable struggle against impending danger. This issue continues the series’ masterful blend of high adventure and quiet, personal moments.
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