Each of the friends must decide their fates, as they’re faced with the first day of the rest of their lives. By the end, lines are drawn between the Believers and the Skeptics, while another shadowy figure from the future is watching them to make sure they all decide ‘correctly.’

Ever since The Bunker launched as a digital comic, I’ve been excited to read each installment of writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Joe Infurnari‘s time-warping, mind bending series. The digital installments were just enough to tease and have me salivating for more. Now, teaming up with Oni Press, the series is being released as physical copies, and with complete material none of us have seen previously as a digital release. And with just this second issue, everything is twisted around, and what we thought we knew, we clearly were wrong.

The Bunker in simplest terms is about free will, destiny, and how much of our life we’re in control of. Some friends receive notes from their future selves found in a mysterious bunker explaining how their lives will generally play out and how they cause the apocalypse. After reading the first issue, I had a general sense of what was going on, and where things were. Of course there were tons of mysteries still left out there, but you had an idea of the basis of the story and some ideas as to what these individuals “missions” were, if they so choose. Will they continue their path, and lead to death and destruction? Can they change the future?

So here we are in the second issue, and with just but a few pages at the end, and so much of the above for me is torn away. Fialkov has taken what we suspected, and upended that (at least for me, maybe you’re smarter in that department). Before he does that though, he focuses more on what exactly these letters say, the future world, the idea of destiny, and the type of tasks they need to do. The philosophical debates throughout the issue are impressive and gets the reader to think themselves.

But, writing isn’t everything. Infurnari’s art adds a gritty style that adds to the storyline. Each individual, whether  the present or future, is unique in their look, and matching the characters Fialkov has created. The style is wonderful and enhances the experience.

This is a comic I can give to a non-comic reader and know they’ll be coming back for more and asking me what else is like it. We not only have a hit, if sales are any indication, but we have a series I expect to see on many “best of 2014” lists come next year. Make sure to put this one on your pull list, because you don’t want to miss out on the series everyone will be talking about. So far this series is one of my favorites of 2014 (though not a shock since it was up their with last year’s digital releases) and this issue is my favorite issue of any comic so far in 2014. This is only the second issue, so get a copy before you’re left behind what’s shaping up to be a hell of a ride.

Story: Joshua Hale Fialkov Art: Joe Infurnari
Story: 10 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.75 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review