HORIZON ZERO DAWN: LIBERATION #2 – Review

In HORIZON ZERO DAWN: LIBERATION #2, available from Titan Comics on August 25th, 2021, Erend continues the tale of how his sister was murdered while Aloy and Erend continue their hunt for Korl.

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The Details

• Written By: Anne Toole
• Art By: Elmer Damaso
• Colors By: Bryan Valenza
• Letters By: Jim Campbell
• Cover Art By: Justine Frany (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: August 25, 2021

Was It Good?

It’s not bad, but there’s an oddity I raised in the previous issue that persists here and even takes more away from the main plot in a negative way. That oddity is the main focus of a flashback to the detriment of the plot. I’ll explain.

Aloy and Erend are arguably the main protagonists of the Horizon Zero Dawn franchise. It makes sense for Erend to devote a meaty part of the first issue retelling how his sister died so you understand the motivation behind his need to chase down Korl. To be fair, I pointed out the flashback was so meaty that it dominated the entire first issue, but if that’s what was needed to get us going, then so be it.

In this second issue, Erend continues the story of his sister, dominating the entire issue again. Here, the flashback domination becomes so prevalent that pieces of action happening in the present with Aloy and Erend get short-changed. For example, there’s an entire scene where Erend is forced to hitch a ride on a Tallneck but it all happens off-panel until the very last moment.

It’s an imbalance when key action and story elements happen off-panel for our protagonists to make room for a flashback. Conceivably, you have new readers picking up this comic for the first time and they want to get to know these characters, their strengths, their weaknesses, and how they handle challenges. If the flashback is so critical to the story, then make it its own comic as a prequel or an issue #0.

To be fair, the flashback story is well done in terms of writing and art. It’s simply too much to act as a flashback when it crowds out the current story.

On the plus side, that in this comic is excellent. Damaso captures the look of the characters and the world perfectly compared to the video game but translated into a comic form that suits the medium.

In all, the story looks great and it’s well written, but the imbalance between flashback and the main story is offputting as important actions in the main plot are getting crowded out.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

First things first. Read our HORIZON ZERO DAWN: LIBERATION #1 review to find out how the journey began.

We rejoin Erend and Aloy as they come to a destroyed bridge that would have helped them cross a deep ravine. Finding an alternate route would take too long, so Aloy devises a plan to use a Tallneck to carry them across. On the other side, Aloy prompts Erend to continue his story about his sister.

We continue with Ersa just after surviving King Jiran’s gladiator ring. Rather than kill her for her defiance, the King puts Ersa to work as a slave in his gardens. Ersa wisely chooses to adopt an attitude of quiet observation until she’s devised a plan to escape.

During her time in the gardens, she is kindly observed by the Prince. He’s opposed to the King’s warmongering ways and wants to see peace among the different tribes. Over time, their mutual respect leads to the Prince’s aid in helping Ersa escape back to her brother, Erend, and her tribe.

Escape, however, leads to suspicion among her tribe as some believe Ersa might have become a turncoat. We conclude the issue with Ersa working to regain trust, a key source of intelligence is uncovered, and building resentment between Erend and Korl reaches a boiling point.

Final Thoughts

HORIZON ZERO DAWN: LIBERATION #2 is a well-written, well-drawn expansion of the hit video game that focuses on character motivations and world-building. Despite the excellent execution, the lion’s share of both the first and second issues spend much too much time on a flashback, to the detriment of the story at hand.

Score: 7/10