What's The Furthest Place From Here? #2
The Academy goes looking for Sid and makes some costly mistakes in What's The Furthest Place From Here? #2, by writer Matthew Rosenberg, artist Tyler Boss, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Rosenberg and Boss keep building the world for readers and deliver an eventful ride.
The Academy goes to the Bank to see if Sid is there. They find the rival gang all gone, except for one member, Merril. They look in the vault, but Sid isn't there and leaves, with Merril in two, talking about how he wants to join them. As they leave the Bank, they encounter the Boys In Blue, another gang, and after a tense conversation, knock over their bus and hightail it. On the way back to the record store, Prufrock and Alabama argue about where Sid is before they discover some disheartening news- the record store has burnt down. Merril offers to lead them to a safe place, and they get moving but are caught out at night by a mysterious group who steal all of their stuff. They finally make it to where Merril is taking them- the Market. They're forced to barter for supplies when their threats of violence don't work, and a member of the Market's staff tells them about a Stranger-approved house nearby.
Rosenberg does a brilliant job of world-building in this issue. The more time readers spend in this world, the more everything feels like a fully realized world. It's a world of gangs and alliances, little fiefdoms of teenagers all overseen by the Strangers, and the more readers learn, the more tantalizing it all becomes. On the one hand, a post-apocalyptic world of teenage street gangs with a giant secret behind it all isn't groundbreaking, but there's something about the way Rosenberg is structuring the whole thing that makes it work. Cliches aren't bad if they are done well, and this is one is done very well so far.
For example, the Strangers get mentioned several times but in regards to food and shelter. The places the gangs live are "Stranger-approved". The Strangers provide food, and while the Market has food, it can't be used to replace Stranger-given nourishment. These two little facts make things all the creepier in this world. Who are the Strangers, and what are their roles? Rosenberg knows how to build a mystery very well. Also, the whole sequence at the Market. There's unease to the whole thing that makes the scenes there stand out. It adds to just how great everything in this book is at this point.
Boss is amazing. His linework is heavy and works wonderfully. He's so great for this book not just because of how detailed his art is but because of how well he can capture what Rosenberg's script calls for. The standpoint of the book is several double splash pages where the sleeping Academy is surrounded by shadowed assailants. The whole thing is creepy and captivating. It adds to the unease of the world, and it's brilliant.
What's The Furthest Place From Here? #2 adds to the world and makes it even stranger. Rosenberg and Boss are an amazing team, and watching them develop this story and world even more is going to be a treat for readers.
