Belle: Beast Hunter #2by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 7 Belle fights her way free from the sea monster, getting help from a mysterious submarine. She has a dream where she's attacked by a Gorgon ... who was killed by Belle's mother!This issue is almost entirely fight scenes against monsters. I'm not necessarily complaining about that, but it's also handled a little weirdly. The transition from the first to the second fight is so random, and we don't understand why until the last page of this issue. At least that last page does tie back to the end of the first fight scene. I'm also a bit frustrated that we don't get a name for Belle's friend in the second scene. The opening against the sea monster picks up where issue #1 left off. This is a powerful scene. I love that Belle takes a practical approach and removes some of her more cumbersome armor pieces to keep from drowning. I also like that she gets a brief moment of grieving in the midst of it. The ax makes for a great weapon against the tentacles and giant, toothy, worm-like appendages. The smaller tentacles take the fight to a whole new level of complexity as Belle struggles for enough freedom to use said ax. My favorite aspect is seeing the muscles on Belle's arms and shoulders; the creative team really designed her as a buff warrior! The fight against the Gorgon is pretty intense, especially with the nightmarish end. It takes a few forms as the scene unveils, which made it pretty obvious at one point that this is most likely a dream (the looking at it overall and the rough in-scene transitions also point to it). I'm really curious now about the mom angle, and if this dream is a premonition of sorts or just Belle's subconscious sorting things out. "Action-packed" begins to describe this issue. Some aspects could be handled better, but overall I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to what happens next. Written: February 14, 2018
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