Review: ROAD OF BONES #2

Most scholars would agree that the golden age for Russian literature started at some point in the 1830s. For the next several decades, names like Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dotoyevsky became internationally recognized. Even now, in the new millennium, Russia is still considered to be one of the world“s most well-read nations. Writer, Richard Douek and artist, Alex Cormack are making a compelling case for ROAD OF BONES (IDW) to be situated within this storied tradition.

In general, when anyone mentions Siberia we automatically think of vast icy geographical locales and gulags. If the thought of living in Siberia or being a prisoner in a Siberian gulag summons a sense of fear in you then you might want to avoid reading ROAD OF BONES. Initially set in a Siberian Gulag, of both real and surreal horrors, ROAD OF BONES chronicles the epic escape of three prisoners who must now contend with the deadly conditions of the Siberian landscape. Grigori, Sergei, and Roman form a tentative partnership borne out of their survival instincts and an opportunity provided by a brief but bloody prison riot. For a gruesome primer on the horrifically violent and sadistic conditions of the gulag, see ROAD OF BONES #1.

At the start of ROAD OF BONES #2 (out this week), our three Russian escapees have been slogging through Siberia for weeks. Food is low and their trust in each other and in their plans for escape are wavering in the icy winds of Siberia“s deadly climate. Douek has a deep sense of the dramatic tones of traditional Russian literature and they are on full display here as Grigori, Roman, and Sergei begin to direct their desperation at each other. Alex Cormack“s artwork is a clinic for how to make facial expressions pop on the comic book page. When you arrive at the final panel of ROAD BONES #2 you will be a believer.

At this point, it is almost impossible to contemplate where the ROAD OF BONES will lead and/or ultimately end up. But what is clear, is that the horrors for these three protagonists are only beginning. Like much of the best horror comics, film, tv, etc., ROAD OF BONES obscures what might be the most terrifying aspects of its world. In the first issue, readers will be immediately terrified by the inhumane nature of the gulag“s guards, but by the end of ROAD OF BONES #2 the sadistic gulag guards are a distant memory. The horrors that Sergei, Roman and Grigori must face now are of their own making or, maybe the most terrific horrors ahead of them don“t have faces at all. 4/5!

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(W) Rich Douek (A/CA) Alex Cormack