Khaal #2

Previously in Khaal #1

Issue #2 of Khaal takes a turn in terms of storytelling and its introduction of new characters like the Queen of the Xenopsyllians. Although she does not hold up to heavy scrutiny, it didn’t make the story any less enjoyable.

This issue served up a good amount of exposition in revealing how Khaal came to be. It’s a brutal story that includes the rape of his mother by a trio of males from the human faction, and how his birth is the link to the true source of his power. These panels surrounding his conception might be too much for some, but one thing that is consistent in Khaal is the depiction of the brutality that exists on Empyreon.

The fast-paced nature of this series lends to being one of its strengths; what many comics might have stretched out through three or four issues we go through in one. But this issue would have been better if it had been tightened in some areas, or not left itself open to questions regarding character motivations. In one sense, you can embrace the gigantic scale of the world being built, but sometimes that leads to cracks within.

Also, the story is being told from the perspective of the bad guy, not the side of the innocent or even a hero, which allows the reader to experience the repercussions and psychology of the dynamics that come out of a world based on survival and primacy.

When the comic threw an intergalactic Queen with power levels in the extreme and superior numbers to boot, I got excited. When she ended up existing only as a McGuffin for the Khaal to reach the next point of his story, it was a bit disappointing and seemed wasteful. Although, I can completely reverse course on this thought depending on how the series ends. For now, her death only serves to provide the Khaal with the full resources of her ship and people.

And that is what I’m looking forward to: after being unshackled by the designs of Empyreon, how far and wide will the destruction of the Khaal spread?