REVIEW: ‘Eternals,’ Issue #2

Eternals #2 is written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Esad Ribic, colored by Matthew Wilson, and lettered & designed by VC’s Clayton Cowles. It is published by Marvel Comics.  Picking up on the ending of the first issue, Ikaris confronts the Mad Titan Thanos in a battle that sends them careening through time and space-and places Ikaris into a collision course with a human boy. Meanwhile, Sersei gathers a select group of Eternals to determine who has let Thanos into the Machine and killed their leader Zuras.

First and foremost, I have to talk about the art. Ribic is a PHENOMENAL artist; his images will leap off the page and sear themselves into readers’ brains. The aforementioned fight between Ikaris and Thanos is a great example of this; as they battle throughout time and space, they leap throughout several time periods. Dinosaurs roar in confusion and a knight stars off into the distance watching them fight. Every impact, every blast of energy feels like it hits with enough force to move mountains-a rather fitting scale given that both combatants have immense cosmic power.

Ribic also gets to introduce more Eternals to the cast of characters, including Phastos and Sersi. Phastos is a massive mountain of a man; as the Machine narrates, all Eternals listen when he speaks and he looks like a man who commands respect. Sersi is described as “complicated and enchanting,” and Ribic certainly draws her as fitting into the latter category with her long flowing black hair and the posture of someone who is accustomed to having others follow her around. Wilson gives each Eternal their own distinct coloring scheme: Ikaris wears red/blue/gold, Phastos wears black/gold, Sersi wears green/black, etc. A cast of characters with distinct personalities would also have distinct clothing, and I’m glad Wilson makes those clothes stand out.

Gillen slowly starts building a cosmic murder mystery with his script. The death of Zuras is a massive blow to the Eternals, as only one of them could have committed the murder. The mystery of Ikaris and the young boy he encounters is also intriguing: why would a godlike being, who has his own duties to his people, end up protecting a regular kid from New York? The answers aren’t within reach, but the ending hints that it may be rather dangerous for Ikaris and the other Eternals.

However, the best part of the issue was the return of Thanos. Thanos has long been one of my favorite villains in fiction, ever since I read the original Infinity Gauntlet storyline back in college. Gillen paints him as the immense menace he is, with Thanos able to go toe-to-toe with Ikaris, and the very mention of his name sends fear rippling through the other Eternals. Thanos also adds to the mystery element of the book, given that he died during Infinity Wars and his presence has been teased in Thor-whatever the future holds for the Mad Titan, Marvel’s heroes have their work cut out for them.

Eternals #2 sets up a cosmic murder mystery for its titular gods and resurrects one of the greatest villains in the history of the Marvel Universe. I highly recommend this series to fans old and new, especially if they want to know more about the Eternals.

Eternals #2  is available wherever comics are sold and through Comixology using our affiliate link.