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In issue two of Astonishing Times: Rise Of The Kokin, we continue the adventures of the younger version Kokin and his Sensei as they return to Tokyo. The city seems on edge with the emergence of superheroes and technology changing the world. Kokin and his Sensei will have to navigate underworld politics, dangerous streets, and enemies lurking in the darkness if they hope to survive their return to Tokyo, Japan.
- Written By Frank J. Barbiere & Arris Quinones
- Art By Ruairi Coleman
- Colors By Andrew Cramer
- Letters By Taylor Esposito
- Design By Dylan Todd
Rise Of The Kokin Continues
Rise Of The Kokin issue one established our main character as having a troubled youth, running into fight after fight, until he finds himself under the wing of a rich and mysterious master. In issue 2 we get a look we get a look at the journey that starts him on a path towards the warrior we know.
It turns out that Kokin’s Sensei, Gotoh, has been on a mission funded by a council of the Five Families. His goal was to find new resources to help the council push back against the rise of technology and outside influence in Tokyo. Their ultimate goal being to preserve the “old ways” and stop the “polluting” of their culture.
It’s tough not to find it a bit contradictory that they wold send one of their own to travel the world in search of outside resources to help protect themselves from outside influence. I think truth may be that they feel threatened by a loss of control and that their true end goal here is just to maintain power, by any means necessary.
Art by Ruairi Coleman. Colors by Andrew Cramer. Letters by Taylor Esposito
The “Keys” To The Comic
The Rise Of The Action
I’m not sure which part are written by Barbiere and which parts are by Quinones, but as whole the story still remains interesting. I’m intrigued as well learn me more about Kokin’s Sensei Gotoh. He and the five families really make this issue enjoyable, along with Shinji’s assistant Ichigo, who will have a larger part to play in things to come.
Art by Ruairi Coleman. Colors by Andrew Cramer. Letters by Taylor Esposito
The dialogue in this issue was bit of a weak point for me, with the exception of the meeting between Gotoh and Shinji. That back and forth felt very poetic and yet natural. It was a stand out scene. I also found the interactions between the Five Families and the back and forth between Shinji and Ichigo to be very well paced and nuanced. Those were all stand out characters and/or moments.
The Artwork Is The Master Here
The art in this issue goes above and beyond. From the illustration to the colors, it shines and does a lot of the heavy lifting. Ruari Coleman and Andrew Cramer seems to be firing on all cylinders in this issue, much like the last. The authentic and futuristic armor designs are a thing of beauty that could easily be translated from page to screen.
The action panels are engaging and flow seamlessly. All the movements seem so natural and properly choreographed as if ready to be filmed by a stunt crew. The angles are clear. The framing is clear. The action rises and falls in a dynamic way that draws the reader in.
Art by Ruairi Coleman. Colors by Andrew Cramer. Letters by Taylor Esposito
The colors are dynamite. The neon soaked, cyberpunk, retro wave, vibe is a tremendous selling point. Cramer plays with light in a way that brings each scene to a third dimension. He also color grades scenes in different ways, providing us with changes in emotion, setting the atmosphere for the reader.
Everything Points To 6.5/10
Issue two of Rise Of The Kokin sets up a few story points going forward. It will be interesting to see where these threads lead and how Kokin will react to each one. Things should really ramp up in the next issue. The art in this book is fun and vibrant and I can’t wait to see more of it. I really love the the world-building and the lore that’s being established, but I hope to see Kokin take on a different dimension in the next chapter.
This issue had a couple of pitfalls for me. One being a really weird love scene taken out of a 80’s action B-Movie and the other being that Gotoh went all the way to Tokyo just to tell Shinji that he wasn’t going to tell him anything and he’s going to disappear.
Despite a couple of odd story choices I still enjoyed the book overall and I think if your a fan of action movies, like me, you will too!
