Enacting Your Will On Another World In Sparrowhawk #2
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Artemisia and Crispin continue their trek through the Fae and the realm of the Unseelie. They narrowly evade the pursuit of the Wild Hunt and meet the son of the Unseelie queen, Warren. Crispin wants Art to kill him immediately, but Art hears him out. He disdains the actions of his mother and the Wild Hunt. He is a pacifist and would rather the world of the Fae live in natural harmony. Crispin has a different view of the realm.
Sparrowhawk #2 immediately dives into the implications of Artemisia’s presence as a stranger in this world and the reasons for Crispin’s interest in her.
Crispin delivered a cold and cruel description of the Fae’s world in the first issue of Sparrowhawk, but we see a more naturalistic view here thanks to Warren. This creates a tension between wanting to see a vengeful Artemisia striking back, metaphorically, against those that wronged her and understanding that she only has Crispin’s point of view of the Fae.
This is exacerbated by Artemisia’s own hang-ups about invaders occupying and enacting their will in a foreign land. She knows how her father and birth mother met; her father was a part of the colonization process of the British Empire. This leaves Art hesitant to enact her will on the land of Fae.
All of this builds an interesting historical and character dynamic across Sparrowhawk, and it’s helped immensely by the good dialogue and premise.
Matias Basla’s artwork is fantastical and ethereal in a manner excellently suited to Sparrowhawk. He gives the world of the Fae a strange and elaborate design while leaving enough vacant to spark the imagination. Rebecca Nalty’s color art further enforces the feeling of surrealism and danger in the Fae. Both Basla and Nalty’s work comes together in a wonderful manner to craft this wonderful and ferocious world as well as the characters within.
Sparrowhawk #2 delivers a smart and grabbing follow-up to the first issue’s tale of a Victorian story-turned-fantastical. Art, Crispin, and Warren are compelling characters, and the story and setting leave the future of the series with a lot of room and ideas to explore. This comic certainly earns a recommendation. Check it out.
Sparrowhawk #2 comes to us from writer Delilah S. Dawson, artist Matias Basla, color artist Rebecca Nalty, letterer Jim Campbell, and cover artist Miguel Mercado.
