Posted in: Comics, IDW, Review | Tagged: fabian alquier, fantasy, highest house, idw publishing, mick carey, Peter Gross

Highest House #2 Review: The Mystery Deepens with an Obsidian Voice

Moth gets into a swing of working for Fless on the roof. The chef continues to threaten them both for Fless taking Moth on as a slave apprentice. The Magister continues to show an interest in the young Moth. Every night, Moth is contacted by the disembodied voice of Obsidian, who begs for Moth's allegiance and help in attaining freedom of his own.

The mystery of Highest House deepens, and we get to see more personality out of our protagonist, Moth. Secret rooms and a deeper history to the conquest of the current ruling family are shown and explored. Obsidian proves to be different from other such deity-like characters, showing a near-playfulness as he tries to win Moth over to his side.

A heretofore unknown family history is revealed about Moth, which is about par for the course in a story like this. Moth himself is a curious child, but he's also growing courage and may yet turn into a fighter. He's resistant to much of Obsidian's persuasion, and he even stands up to Fless and the chef at times. Despite this, he never completely ceases to behave like the child he is.

The pacing and flow of this issue is way stronger too. There aren't any lulls or oddly compelling roofing tutorials. The story has a direction, even if it's not necessarily an overarching conflict beyond that inherent in slavery.

Peter Gross' art work is cartoonish and stylized, and yet it still has a rustic tint that fits the fantasy setting very well. Each character has quirks in their physical appearance which allow them to stand apart from one another. The Magister in particular is quite intimidating yet appealing. Fabien Alquier's color art also has a rustic appeal to it which fits the setting and atmosphere of Highest House.

This miniseries continues to deliver on the promises of the premise. Moth is growing into a very likable character, Highest House is chock-full of mysteries, and Obsidian is an enticing riddle all his own. This one earns another strong recommendation. Check it out.

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