After a pogrom chases them out of their home, Alex and Yuli flee to a forest in the Ukrainian countryside, where the opposing forces of the Russian Civil War are poised to clash. Desperately seeking shelter from the cold, the siblings take refuge in a lonely hunting cabin only to realize that their new host may be just as dangerous as the threats that await them out in the wild. Edenfrost #2 teases the mystical aspects of its story while reminding us its grounded in history.

Written by Amit Tishler, Edenfrost #2 continues the intriguing series that mixes history, religion, and mysticism. Taking place during the Russian Civil War, the story focuses on two Jewish kids on the run after their village is attacked. There’s also a deepening mystery about a Golem, a mystical being with deep Jewish roots.

Edenfrost #2 sees Alex and Yuri getting to know their new host. While she’s rather hard to like, Tishler does a solid job of fleshing out her background and history within the pages so she’s not quite a one-not possible villain. She’s antisemitic, but also naive to the world, and torn over the Russian soldier who has strung her along. Hints at numerous tragic moments in her life create a character who is fully fleshed out in less than a comic, something other writers would take much longer to pull off if at all. It creates a character fully realized that we can both dislike and have sympathy for. It also ups the feeling of danger regarding Alex and Yuri, a tense aspect for the issue that plays until the very end.

Tishler also teases what’s going on between the two. There’s something about a bloodline, legacies, and bond, all intriguing and hinting and the deeper story of Alex. Who, or what, is at the beginning is something that we get to discover as the series progresses but it’s part of that blending of fact and fiction that makes the series intriguing. It’s a comic that feels like an alternate history but at the same time it’s not.

Bruno Frenda‘s art continues to impress. It still reminds me of the art from Advance Wars for the Nintendo DS, but that’s not a bad thing, it’s a style I like. There’s something interesting about that art in that it feels both fantastical and grounded at the same time. Fenda also does a great job of showing off the various emotions throughout the issue. The characters deliver the unease of the situation with their looks and body language. Taylor Esposito‘s lettering is also great in it packs in a lot of dialogue on the page without making it feeling overwhelming.

Edenfrost #2 continues an intriguing series. The story slowly teases out the mystical aspects of it all while the comic keeps reminding readers there’s actual history involved in the comic. It also breaks a mold of keeping Jewish lead characters in certain situations, diving a bit into Judaism that you don’t see too often. Overall, an intriguing series that has us interested in seeing what’s next.

Story: Amit Tishler Art: Bruno Frenda Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Mad Cave Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

---

Purchase: Kindle

After losing their parents in a pogrom, teenage siblings Alex and Yuli use the mystical power of a Golem to survive the chaos of the Russian Civil War. In a harrowing journey through war-torn Ukraine, the duo will face the harsh reality of warfare, ethnic bias, and national pride as they fight for their own place in the world. Edenfrost #1 mixes history and fantasy for a start that’s rather relevant.

Written by Amit Tishler, Edenfrost #1 is an interesting start that feels sort of like alternate history but also steeped in history. Tishler drops the reader into the action as two children make their way from some sort of chaos. While we never get all of the details, there’s an unreliable narrator who fills in some details, we’re teased with the involvement of a Golem.

Much like another release this week, Edenfrost #1 feels like it’s timing is both weird and perfect. The two children are Jewish, the Golem a Jewish myth, and their running is from the Antisemitism and hate from their tiny village. Add in this takes place in Russia and Ukraine, and you have a comic that covers a whole lot of what’s going on.

The art by Bruno Frenda is solid. With lettering from Taylor Esposito, Edenfrost #1 has a look that feels like it has feet in both history and fantasy. Like the story itself, its style works perfectly to create a world that’s antiquated. This is the early world of the destructive machinery used today in a current war in Russia and Ukraine and features myths still perpetuated today to discriminate against Jews. In Alex and Yuli, Frenda delivers an innocence that is hard for anyone to not feel something for and Frenda’s art does well to focus on the kids’ fear and exhaustion as they make their way into the unknown as they desperately attempt to find safety from those pursuing them and the weather.

Edenfrost #1 is an interesting comic that feels like an alternate world fantasy but it’s very much entrenched in the real world. It should be intriguing to see where it goes and how much it focuses on the Antisemitism that still exists today. There’s also the myth of the Golem, which while widely used, its Jewish roots are often overlooked and diminished. It’s an aspect that opens up a world that’s not known to many. Edenfrost #1 is a debut that kicks off a story and world full of potential.

Story: Amit Tishler Art: Bruno Frenda
Color: Bruno Frenda Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Mad Cave Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

---

Purchase: Kindle