Distrust Your Memories: Crone #2 Reviewed
by Josh Davison
Mild Spoilers Ahead
We go back to the day that Bloody Bliss slew D’Kayde, and Vor the Lion and Gaspur Rogue drove out D’Kayde’s Harbingers. That was also the day that Bliss met Ella and fell in love. In the present, Gaspur urges Bliss to help him kill the returned D’Kayde. Bliss is apprehensive that it’s actually D’Kayde, and she explains to Gaspur what happened between she and Ella in the years since the day they met. Bliss trained Ella to be a warrior hero too, but Ella had no stomach for the battle and bloodshed. They built a cabin together, and Ella would stay there when Bliss went on adventures. However, Ella got tired of waiting for Bliss to come home, so Ella left Bliss. Now, Bliss just waits for death.
Crone #2 shows us the reason Bloody Bliss abandoned her life as a warrior, and that reason’s name is Ella.
Bliss lost Ella to her obsession fighting and adventuring. However, it was no villain or monster that took Ella from Bliss. It was Bliss’ own ignorance to Ella’s feelings. Bliss made Ella wait for her, so Ella wanted to make Bliss do the same.
Much of this comic is flashback to Bliss’ victory over D’Kayde and Bliss’ time with Ella. The remaining pages are mostly devoted to Bliss rebuffing Gaspur’s pleas.
Beyond it costing her Ella, Bliss has a distaste for her warrior life for how pointless it all seems now. Death, war, and the horrors therein are still present; Bliss, Vor, and Gaspur didn’t bring peace to the Three Kingdoms. There’s also some indication that Bliss, Gaspur, and Vor were more lucky than skilled in combat. That of course still remains to be seen for the reader.
Justin Greenwood once again brings this comic to life with heart, grit, and adept detailing. The character designs of Bliss, Vor, and Gaspur are solid representations of the fantasy archetypes they represent. Plus, D’Kayde still looks really damn cool. Brad Simpson’s color palette bounces between the warm shades of the past and the cold and pallid present.
Crone #2 is another solid issue from this fledgling Dark Horse series. We learn more about Bloody Bliss and her life as well as why she stopped her adventuring lifestyle. There’s a strong vein of distrusting one’s own nostalgia for the past that makes it all a bit more grim yet compelling. It’s a great read and is easily worth a recommendation. Check it out.
Crone #2 comes to us from writer Dennis Culver, artist Justin Greenwood, color artist Brad Simpson, letterer Pat Brosseau, and cover artist Justin Greenwood with Brad Simpson.
Final Score: 8.5/10