Stephen King is one of those storytellers whose mastery of characterization and plot puts him in rare space. He knows how to peer into the frailties of humanity while uncovering the ugliness in all of us makes his work memorable. Each story of his leaves remnants in his reader’s minds and even makes many of his adaptations, more than standard horror fare.  I remembered the first time, I read Tommyknockers as I could not sleep for days after finishing the last chapter.

I also have read his regular fiction books like The Green Mile, as though the movie is interesting, the book is even better. As one of the recent adaptations of his work that I love is Gerald’s Game, a movie about a woman while handcuffed to a bed, the husband dies while they were getting intimate. What is powerful about the story is how she survives the ordeal and really how her past experiences made her strong enough for what she went through. In the second issue of NoMadd: City Of Empty Towers, our hero must a perilous shadowy path while confronting his past demons.

We find NoMadd, months after his fall, as he must adapt and overcome to reach back to the surface, as his first major obstacle is the Unconquerable Wall Of Storms, as it is deadly to anyone who attempts to pass it. As he ponders on his wife’s betrayal, he must also cross Platu, and survive the numerous creatures that wander the land, as his next step can be his last.  As he finds way out, by way of a hidden sea craft, his escape is short-lived, as the ship hits a wave, he loses consciousness, where he flashes back through his life, as we find out about his parents, his upbringing, and how he met Ka’Sell. He eventually wakens to him being ejected from the ship into a pod, which is leaking very quickly and gives him only moments to break free. As he brought to safety by a herd of sea creatures where is taken to Tyon. As he wanders the city, he doesn’t find any trace of any living creature, eventually realizing he is all alone, where he stays for three cycles. By issue’s end, he finds out where all the inhabitants are, and what evil is awaiting him.

Overall, an epic odyssey almost as grand as Homer. The story by Andrew Kafoury is smart, action-packed and well developed. The art by the creative team is gorgeous. Altogether, a story that shows how powerful the journey can be, even when one is looking for the destination.

Story: Andrew Kafoury
Art: Aaron McConnell, Lee Moyer, and Tom Orzechowski
Story: 10 Art: 9.7 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy