Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

World of Warcraft #2
Wildstorm Comics
Simonson, Lullabi & Hope

This issue has plenty of fighting, but not a whole lot of plot or character development. We get a good idea of the lay of the land, but not what everything is all about in it. I liked this issue, but less than the first. I still want to know more about the characters, but the human one I find very uninteresting. I loved the art. Basically, this issue was a mixed bag for me.

After a nice intro of what has transpired in the previous issue we get the battle of the human and the Orc named, Hyku Steeledge. Steeledge is dispatched quickly. Valeera and Broll make nice after Broll's powers were stunted by Valeera. As part of the victory, the human is given the blades of the Orc. While selecting weapons, the human stumbles upon a lion's crest that triggers a faint memory from his forgotten past. Then the three are shipped off to the main gladiator event.

While in transit we get a nice narrative of the land, the evils within it and some of the history of the races. It's good to get this background, but I would also like to see this kind of info for the individuals and their races as well, but I guess I got something, which is better than nothing.

Next, we get battles in the arena. This makes up the bulk of the issue. Trolls, two-headed things, lots of beasts enter the fight. The battles are good. Basically, we see lots of the human, Broll and Valeera working as a team. After they succeed the crowd believes the human to be the warrior, Lo'Gosh or Ghost Wolf. Whoever that is. In the end, Valeera is sold off to another team for the cliffhanger.

Not a bad issue by any stretch. The battles give a good balance of Broll, Valeera and the human and their skills. The characters interact as a team, but not in a developmental way. You still have the feeling that they couldn’t care less about each other.

The artwork is outstanding. The races are excellent to watch fight. The colors used bring out outstanding details. I enjoyed just thumbing through this thing over and over.

Drawbacks? I would like more intro for the villains. What are their races? Who are they? Also, I would like to understand what Broll and Valeera are and their backgrounds as individuals, but I suspect that is coming in subsequent issues. Also, where are we going from here? Are we just staying in the gladiator arena? I feel like there is no clear direction for the human (or the others) to go.

This issue was good. I didn’t feel it was as character driven as the last one and I am not sure we are at the point where action alone can hold the interest with regard to relatively unknown characters. The artwork is really excellent for this type of comic. I am staying with this to see where we go.

3 out of 5 geek goggles.

Check out the next issue...


World Of Warcraft #3

DC Comics
NOV070272D

Written by Walter Simonson Art by Ludo Lullabi & Sandra Hope Covers by Jim Lee and Samwise Didier Rehgar takes Lo'Gosh and Broll to Thunder Bluff for a cleansing ritual. Unfortunately for the pair, lurking beneath the surface of the Pools of Vision is a force like nothing they've ever faced before! The future looks dark for Lo'Gosh as new threats mount against him in this epic title from Walter Simonson and Ludo Lullabi! On sale January 16"