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
