Published On: 2019-12-01 by Evoluzione
Artist: Miguel Angel Ruiz
Colorist: Vittorio Astone
Letterer: Marco Della Verde
Catch-up on Last Issue
Morgan was given a directive to find out who murdered the relatives of the Toad Witch. Morgan and Billy discovered that Spring-heeled Jack was involved. Despite the increase in danger, they decide to continue with the investigation.
In This Issue of Le Fay #2
Black magic is a dangerous thing. You never know how it’s going to turn out. The ritual at the beginning of this issue had unintended consequences and the big bad of this series is seeking to take advantage of that. Morgan and Billy need more information. Morgan calls in an old boyfriend and works him over. Morgan’s a master at manipulation. The policeman never has a chance.
They end up at a magically hidden preserve for mystical pet rescue, and things fall apart from there.
What Else Happens in this Comic?
There have been a pair of small pixies following Morgan and Billy. They shadow the detectives all the way to the mystical animal rescue before reporting back to their leader who’s also interested in the creature from the cage.
In a third plotline, Yallery Brown tells Merlin that Jack wants more for the creature. It doesn’t sit well with the mage.
The Comic's Themes
Evil comes in many shapes and many forms. Le Fay #2 seems to be on a mission to show us all kinds of evil.
- Morgan isn’t the nicest sorceress around. She starts at the top of the evil triangle.
- The ritual performers had evil plans when they performed the magic that pulled the thing to our dimension.
- The witches of the Triple Moon torture their victims.
- The hunters don’t care who they hurt as they hunt for the Outer Godling.
- Merlin is keeping dangerous company.
There isn’t a white knight in the entire comic, and that’s what makes it so interesting.
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How's Le Fay #2's Writing?
The Dialogue
The dialogue in Le Fay #2 is very strong. You can tell what sort of person Morgan, Billy, Jack, and the Cop are just by the words that they say.
Showing Versus Telling
To give you an idea of how good Le Fay #2 is, despite several scene changes and huge amounts of story, there’s almost no telling. We’re shown all the action. The exception is the Triple Moon witches spying on Morgan, but the scene served two purposes: give us the backstory and show us how terrible Morgan’s employers are.
The Vibe
This is a straight-forward, horror, rated R movie. I wasn’t prepared for some of the visuals. This comic definitely all in on the mature, urban fantasy thing.
Comic Art Review
Miguel Angel Ruiz and Vittorio Astone are a huge draw for this comic. Their artwork is stellar. Every page is packed with six panels of activity. The mystical animal rescue is a visual feast of magical creatures of all sizes and shapes — pegasus, chupacabbra, shug monkeys, gryphon, hell hounds, and Ch’i Lin.
The only full-page we get is the closing image, and it deserves all the weight and power a full-page can bring. It’s the perfect poster. Le Fay has a lot of colorful characters, and the closing page highlights many of them. Stare in wonder at all the characters designs found in Le Fay.
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- Lefay 2 Cover
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- Lefay 2 Cover Alt Carola Borelli
On the Cover
One of the design elements that I really like with Le Fay’s covers is the use of negative space or reversed images. Look closely at the white image behind Morgan. It’s more than an interesting pattern.
For a small publisher, Evoluzione has talented artists creating covers for their titles. In addition to the primary cover by series artist Miguel Angel Ruiz, we have alternate covers by Chiara Miriade and Carola Borelli.
The Comic Panel by Panel
Once you’ve read the story, pull yourself out of the alternate reality immersion and look at the page layouts. Miguel Angel Ruiz uses a pattern of four or five standard rectangle layouts followed by a half, out-of-border panel. It’s almost a framing or transitional effect. It also lends the closing panel more weight than the others. I didn’t notice it on first read, but now that I see it, I really enjoy how it looks on the page.
Vittorio Astone uses color to help separate the scenes. The witches are blood red. The animal rescue is green. The mundane world outside of the glimmer is blue. It’s extremely helpful when we’re bouncing between two locations. You will intuitively know which location you are looking at just by the color.
Marco Della Verde uses word balloons like a master painter. There’s a few instances where characters are narrating or thinking, and we have different colors to the thought boxes. When Black Agnes is channeling Morgan, look for the font change. Nice.
World Building
One of the things Le Fay does very well is move from mundane England to mystical England without a hitch. We start in a pub and move to a mystical animal rescue flowing between without thinking about it.
Wear the Urban Fantasy
Levi's Women's Faux Leather Classic Asymmetrical Motorcycle Jacket
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Who's In This Issue of Le Fay #2
- Merlin
- Triple Moon
- Wicked Jenny Greenteeth
- Black Agnes
- Tilly Baldrey
- Billy Blynde, the Hobgoblin
- Spring-heeled Jack
- Yallery Brown
- Sex Cult
- Coleman Grey, pixie
The Big Question for Next Issue
Who is this hunting crew and what do they want with Morgan?
Collect the Urban Fantasy
I'm not a witch. I'm a sorceress.
Who Will Like Le Fay #2?
If you enjoy any of these authors of urban fantasy, you’ll enjoy Le Fay #2.
- Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files
- Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson
- Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan
I Need More Content like Le Fay #2
If you are enjoying Le Fay, you can find more artwork on Evoluzione Publishing’s Facebook page.
Alternative cover artists, Chiara Miriade and Carola Borelli, are on Artstation and Instagram. Check them out.
More Reviews
Le Fay #1What was I missing?
I really would have liked a SFW version of Le Fay #2. There are some very gruesome and sexually explicit scenes. The scenes work in-story. They have value to the overall tale that’s being told. It’s not just shock value. That said edit those handful of scenes out, and I still would understand what was happening in the story.
Should You Buy This Comic Book?
Given the quality we've seen from issues one and two, and the fact that the comic is already finished, supporting Le Fay on Kickstarter should be an easy choice for fans of urban fantasy.