'The Autumnlands Volume Two: Woodland Creatures' – Kurt Busiek & Benjamin Dewey (Image)

Time seems to keep running away from me this year (not surprising really)... It feels like only last week that I was talking about Volume One of 'The Autumnlands' but it was actually way back at the beginning of October. At this rate, I'm going to have to be really careful that I don't blink and miss Christmas.

You can read the review, for Volume One, if you want but if you don't want to, that's cool too ;o) Lets just say that I love that book'; near perfect storytelling and artwork combine to give the reader something really special in terms of story and a world that's just beginning to unfold. It took me a little longer, than planned to get to Volume Two but having finished Volume One, it was always going to happen sooner or later.

So off I read and it always feels a little off re-reading something as you know what's coming. It was no different here but there's still plenty to talk about here.

Stranded in the mountains, the Great Champion and the young dog-wizard Dusty discover gods, goats, living statues, oracular crows, and dangerous secrets about the history of the Autumnlands. Secrets that could help them save the world―if they’re able to survive.

I'll tell you what else is a bit weird... Trying to write something new about this volume of 'The Autumnlands' when all the brilliant stuff about the preceding volume still very much applies here. Of course... If it isn't broke and all that ;o) Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey are this dream partnership that constantly push each other to up their game by being brilliant at what they do. Busiek's compelling story, while gently widening the scope of this world, challenges Dewey to produce the artwork that the story deserves. And Dewey is not only up to the challenge but lays down a challenge of his own by producing sumptuous artwork that the story has to grow into.

I don't know what the opposite of a vicious circle is called (a 'kind circle'...? I don't know) but that's essentially what we have here. Cool things feeding off each other and creating even more cool things.

We still don't really get to find out much about the Champion and it's still a lot more interesting following Dusty and watching him grow into what I think is the real hero of this tale, continually trying to do the right thing no matter what. Not a great deal of character development then (enough to get you from A to B though and the bits with the Galateans make for some interesting questions to think on) but as you go on, it starts to become clear that this was never the point of 'The Autumnlands', not really. No, we're all about the big questions that make the squabbling of wizards pretty pointless but, at the same time, may well be answered by the pointless squabbling of the gods instead. Or are they...? Busiek does that really infuriating thing of answering questions with more questions. I say 'infuriating' but it does open the story right up and make you realise that what you thought were horizons are actually nowhere near. And it is only Volume Two so of course there are going to be more questions to come. I'm just eager to get right into the thick of it and explore this world, I'm being impatient really ;o)

What felt like a regular(ish) fantasy world becomes so much more and while you may not be able to see where it's all going (some of the stuff that Busiek hits us with comes right of the blue), you just know that there's a massive story waiting to be told and it wants to get going, it really. It's a crying shame then that through no fault of anyone's, the story has stalled and doesn't look like it will kick on any time soon. I've got my fingers crossed that it will start up again though. Some amazing groundwork has already been laid and this volume, in particular, hints at the potential for amazing stuff to come.

Buy the books anyway though, the world of 'The Autumnlands' may not be complete but reading these books is still time well spent. Trust me ;o)