Rippaverse’s Great War of Separation #2 is Another EXCEPTional Read

I finally received my copy of The Great War of Separation #2 from Rippaverse Comics the other day. I really liked the first issue, so I was quite excited for this one. Before I delve into the story, I first want to say that I’m really intrigued by the fact that this story arc is only halfway over. I already know how it’s going to end due to it being a prequel, but it’s still really cool seeing all of the events that happen and how it develops difference characters in the Rippaverse.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

The Great War of Separation #2 continues in the same style of storytelling as #1. The books is much more of a broad strokes narrative with less of a focus on central characters when compared to other Rippaverse comics. Not to say that there aren’t central characters, but the focuses on this comic differ in depth compared to something like Isom or Yaira where the focus is on the titular characters. That being said, this comic follows Bryan Solari the most as it even explains how he got his Except abilities. I think in the first issue I assumed that he always had his powers, but in this one it’s revealed that he took part in a government program to have his abilities awakened. We also see a young Avery Silman and his mother using their powers, though I was expecting a more concrete explanation as to how they got them after having read Isom #3.

The story itself continues to follow the war between Texas and the Union as the Union unleashes Excepts to wreak havoc on Texas on two different missions. The first assault is defeated via conventional arms, but it still prompts the Texan government to move forward with assembling its own team of Excepts. This decision leads to Bryan Solari and a few other soldiers having their Except abilities awakened. Another Union attack on Texan oil infrastructure follows, and this one uses more dangerous Excepts equipped with armored suits to protect them from conventional arms. Bryan and the Texan Excepts (and also Avery and his mom) are able to fend off and defeat this new attack, but it does come at a cost. Meanwhile, the mysterious Xeno continue his advance towards the capitol. The comic ends with Plessy Sanders, the governor, assuring the people of Texas and the world that they will win this war and claim independence once and for all.

Overall, I liked the story. It was simple and straightforward to follow while still being engaging. I particularly liked the action and Xeno subplot. The action was fluid and some of the panels, namely the fight between Avery’s mom and an Except, looked really good and dynamic. As for the Xeno subplot, he reminds me a lot of Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men, which makes Xeno an even more terrifying figure. He’s ruthless and relentless as he takes what he wants in pursuit of his end goal. Another element I do like is how Bryan’s character continues to be fleshed out. He shows himself to be a soldier always fighting for what he believes is right, and he believes it is his duty to stand up for and defend his home. It’s an admirable message and character quality to have, especially with so much modern media focused on the subversion of this idea where the country or governing force is shady or hiding something and blind loyalty is viewed as a flaw.

I do have one minor complaint about this comic, and elements of it can be extended to the Rippaverse as a whole. Why are the vast majority of Excepts just super strong and resistant to damage? It makes sense for some characters to have this ability, but it feels like at least a third of the various Excepts shown off fall into this category. That’s not to say that there aren’t some really cool Excepts with interesting powers out there (for example I really liked the villainous Absolute Zero even if she only showed up for a few pages), but there’s also a lot of generic beat sticks. But again, this is a rather minor nitpick that I expect will be smoothed out down the line as more unique heroes and villains are introduced.

SPOILERS END

Overall, The Great War of Separation #2 is another solid offering from Rippaverse Comics. It meaningfully advances the story begun in the first issue of this arc, and it continues to lay the foundational history underlying the world of this comic. It’s a quality comic that’s worth checking out and giving a read.