Image Comics 2021
Written by John Arcudi
Illustrated by Valerio Giangiordano
Coloured by Bill Crabtree
Lettered by Michael Heisler
"THE IRON NOOSE," Part Four
Virgil is back in the custody of the Union Army desperately trying to convince Frances he’s not a monster—and then the REAL monsters show up.
With Virgil being caught and taken back to town we open up o the battlefield where all is not as it seems. It feels like the story is beginning to pick up the pace a bit and events are happening outside of Virgil’s sphere which is great because hopefully this means more folks will see and understand what is going on and that Virgil didn’t kill his superior as the man wasn’t what or who he appeared to be. Though let’s be honest the white man in the Union Army isn’t going to actually trust his eyes nor is he going to be quick to believe that this isn’t some sort if Indian trick. The overall way that this is being told is pretty darn brilliant to see each issue has so many parts to it that are separate yet joined to the main arc and they all work in sync to create this amazingly creepy horror story.
I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is perfectly presented. The character development that we see is sensational thanks to the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter. Virgil and his life with his family, his past and even his destiny is the main source of drama here and how or when he finally accepts his fate will it be too late is the real question. The pacing is perfectly done and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story as well as the twists & turns along the way we become glued to the pages.
I am enjoying how this is being structured and how we see the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and strengthen. These layers are where we see the complexity and depth within the story happen, whether that’s the old man showing him more than he’s ready to handle of being locked away while the Union is under attack. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved exceedingly well.
The interiors here are mindbogglingly brilliant to see. The linework is exquisitely laid down and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level of quality in the detail work is astounding. The creativity and imagination in what we see is mind numbing and between the creatures and that page of what looks like the universe what we see is just increasingly well rendered. We see a fair amount of backgrounds being utilised though we could always see more. How they work within the composition of the panels bringing us the depth perception, sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope of the story is exceptionally well done. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is extraordinary to see. How the various hues and tones within the colours are being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work demonstrates a master colourists eye for how colour should work.
With how we see this end it feels like we’re reaching a monumental point in the story. Finally these creatures have revealed themselves to the general public and with those that are still that are still alive unable to effectively fight them will Virgil get out his cell in time to help this wave be fought back or will all be lost? It’s an exciting time in the book the way that the reader feels this is electrifying. This is amazingly well written and with mind numbing interiors Two Moons is the kind of book that feels like the updated horror books of the bronze age.