When I read the first issue of Bug Wars, it blew me away. Even though it took place in a microscopic realm, the sheer amount of detail packed into a single issue – from the various insect races to the slowly unfolding backstory about Slade Slaymaker and his family – was enough to whet one’s appetite for future installments. Bug Wars #2 only continues the forward momentum, as Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar dig deeper into the Yard.
Bug Wars #2 dedicates the bulk of its story to exploring the territory of the beetle-riding barbarians, landing in the metropolis known as Swarm City. Aaron and Asrar go wild with the implications of a secret society of insects, and how humans’ actions helped shape this society. Discarded scraps of food become a feast. Lost action figures become gods to be worshipped. There’s even a beetle brothel. All of it’s rendered in rich detail by Asrar, who fills the page with enough action to make you want to see series dedicated to the going-ons in Swarm City.
Aaron builds upon the mythology of Bug Wars in his own way, showcasing that there’s a downside to the supernatural abilities Slade picked up from his father’s mysterious medallion. The super strength he showed in the first issue? It seems to wax and wane whenever he grows or shrinks. On top of that, he finds himself with new allies in the form of an ant solider and a spider witch, and learns that the denziens of the Yard have a deep, burning hatred for one of his family members.
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But the piece de resistance comes when Slade and his fellow captives are thrown into the “Bludhole”, which is full of hungry mosquitos. Mosquitos are usually annoying by themselves, but when you’re the same size as them they turn into a swarm of bloodthirsty buzzing beasts that quickly drain the life from you. Such horror is drawn in expert style by Asrar, with Aaron’s script slowly building up to the reveal – and then one more major reveal that spells even more trouble for Slade.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the stunning color work that Matthew Wilson is bringing to the table. Each of the races in the Yard has their own unique pigment: beetle riders are a neon green, ants are a sandstone red, spiders as pale white as the webs they spin. Likewise, the color shifts based on the scenery. When Slade’s outside, it’s nighttime and a cool blue haze falls across the Yard. But as he descends deeper and deeper into Swarm City, there’s a collision of lights that throws a reddish haze on everything, serving as a harbinger of the bloodshed to come.
Like Bug Wars #1, Bug Wars #2 features plenty of backmatter in the form of pages that detail the inner workings of the beetle riders. Not only does these pages look like an actual journal courtesy of Becca Carey’s painstakingly crafted letters, it once again screams for a series expansion. Aaron also lists his influences for the series, which include the Sword of the Atom and The Secret of NIMH. Surprisingly, this makes a lot of sense.
Bug Wars #2 continues the forward momentum of its debut issue, digging deeper into the world its creators have crafted and showing the true horrors that lie in the yard. And yet it feels like the creative team is only scratching the surface of this world.
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