As the floodwaters rise, Shrae’s ark full of fiendish beasts continues on its seemingly endless voyage. But below deck, the matriarch of the naga clan has been viciously slain, and the monstrous voyagers are quick to point clawed fingers to blame each other for the murder. As tensions rise among the monsters, Shrae’s very human family is at risk of becoming victims themselves.

With the first issue of writer Cullen Bunn‘s Dark Ark, I had no idea what to expect, but the series presented a twisted version of Noah’s Ark. A second ark exists, but this one filled with a dark sorcerer and monsters. What’s really intriguing is that with that great concept, Bunn is delivering a series that’s part murder mystery and part political jockeying. And those things together make for an entertaining read.

Dark Ark #2 is the chaos following the murder in the first issue. Who did it? That’s the big question and the monsters are pissed and fighting with each other to figure that out. They’re not happy with the situation and where they are and to some extent blame Shrae about that. Confrontations, finger pointing, lots of fighting, and threats abound and we’re left with a better sense of the factions and politics of the monsters. Throw in this story of the humans on board and things get even more interesting.

I like Juan Doe’s art better in this second issue than the first. It feels a bit cleaner and easier to figure out what’s going on but it keeps the dark tones that help create the chaotic and ominous setting Bunn has created.

Dark Ark has not only impressed me but its exceeded my expectations creating a Biblical horror series that’s also a whodunnit. A great combination that has me sucked in waiting to see what’s next and who the killer is.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Juan Doe Letters: Ryane Hill
Story: 8.35 Art: 8.65 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Review

AfterShock provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review