REVIEW: ‘Horizon Zero Dawn,’ Issue #2

Based on the award-winning game, Horizon Zero Dawn, Titan Comics has published an eponymous comic series. Written by Anne Toole, with art by Ann Maulina, colors by Bryan Valenza, and letters by Jim Campbell, Horizon Zero Dawn #2 is set after the events of the game and features two characters from the game, Aloy and Talanah.

Horizon Zero Dawn #2 begins with a hectic flashback showing Aloy and Talanah hunting down a new breed of dangerous machine. With their joint efforts, they manage to kill the mechanical beast and save the child it was targeting. Now in the present, Talanah is determined to chase after the same type of beast, knowing just how violent it can be. After telling Amadis—the person who treated her wounds in the last issue—about her knowledge of this novel machine, she demands that he accompanies her. As the two begin to track the beast and the mercenaries it’s chasing, they don’t know just what they’re getting themselves into.

The dialogue is in line with the characters we already know. Talanah is confident, sassy at times, but has a heart of gold. Her personality is a good juxtaposition to Amadis, a new character to the series, who’s much more reserved. But that’s not the only way these two are apposed in the comic; their methodologies for dealing with the mechanical beasts are often contrary. However, the comic excels in showing that neither’s method is better than the other but instead they work well together.

The main downfall of the comic is that it doesn’t add much to the world of Horizon Zero Dawn. It’s fine that the comic, specifically the first issue, doesn’t reiterate the history, ideologies, and just overall world mechanics of the game. But beyond a new, if simplistic, adventure story, Horizon Zero Dawn #2 adds little to the world that many gamers are already familiar with. On top of this, the characters themselves, specifically the two we know from the game, Aloy and Talanah, aren’t expanded upon. Even novel characters feel shallow.

Outside the facile plot, the rest of the creative team had done a wonderful job. The art by Maulina is simplistic but still aesthetically pleasing. The characters are very expressive, and between the dialogue and coloring, they never fail to be emotive. The mechanical beasts aren’t as detailed as those in the game but are detailed enough to be identified as robotic. The way fight scenes have been drawn results in an easy read.

The coloring is also simplistic, but the color palette is pleasing. The number of greens used in this comic really highlights the natural environment that has reclaimed the world of Horizon Zero Dawn. The lettering doesn’t clutter the pages and the speech bubbles are easy to follow.

Overall, the art, coloring, and lettering are well-done. The main downfall for this comic is the simplistic plot that neither adds any novel ideas to the world of Horizon Zero Dawn nor does it expand on the existing characters.

Horizon Zero Dawn #2 is available now wherever comics are sold.