Falling in Love on the Path to Hell is already a hit after its excellent first issue. With issue #2 out this week, Gerry Duggan and Garry Brown aim to further flesh out the hellscape that is metaphorical or quite possibly literal. A samurai and a cowboy must cut their way through monsters and question whether they can trust their guide, Mohan. It’s a battle royale with the promise of romance, and the bud of romance is felt in this second issue.
Falling in Love on the Path to Hell continues with Asami and MacRaith following Mohan at the start of this issue. They aren’t clear on what is going on, but following Mohan’s directions seems like the only option. Soon, they encounter an undead warrior on the back of a zombie horse, and they cut him down. As they do so, one questions if that was the right choice, but it’s the smartest one to stay alive at least.
This issue captures the wonderment of the mysterious island on which our heroes are trapped. From strange beasts to undead hordes and mystical landscapes, the issue has it all. It’s rendered well by Brown, with his visuals caked in dark sketchy inks. The visuals ramp up in the final few pages with a series of full-page splashes that’ll get your pulse up. These pages, along with the general mystery, is thrilling.
I love the design of this page!
Credit: Image
Even more impactful is Brown’s art, which is great at progressing the story and drawing you into these characters. There are looks shared, close-ups that show anguish, and a general great sense of movement between panels on a page. Nothing feels static, even when they’re simply tramping through the brush.
If you’re looking for the “love” that’s in the title, this issue begins to unfurl it. MacRaith helps Asami and vice versa. There’s certainly no spark, though, so it’ll be interesting to see if they are falling in love or at least falling into friendship.
It’s quite clear Mohan is an unreliable guide, but the issue doesn’t delve too deeply into that aspect. Duggan smartly keeps Asami and MacRaith looking suspicious at him, but it’d be nice to get a little more world-building on what is going on. That’ll be for another issue, I wager. Another gripe is how limited Asami is in character work, partly due to her not speaking English. She’s basically present, giving side eyes to things and not much more.
Falling in Love on the Path to Hell #2 continues to explore the weirdness of an island of undead hordes and strange creatures. The island’s mystery keeps up our interest as a relationship begins to form for its main heroes.
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