The Good
THE WOODS comes back for a second issue with a solid mix of tension, jump-out-of-your-seat moments, and warm character interactions. It's great to see how human everyone's reactions are -- the power struggles that are emerging (in the woods and back at the school) are really fascinating to watch. There's a great combo of Lord of the Flies and more grown-up political themes, and it makes this book so much more than just an alien horror title.
The colors. This book has a MOOD to it, and it's because of the colors. Josan Gonzalez is nailing it, and he's using purple in a bold way that suits the environment and heightens the tense alien atmosphere (not in a muddy "I don't know what to do, so purple" way). Gonzalez makes Michael Dialynas' work look even better (and it's pretty awesome).
I love how Tynion is able to capture the teenage voice as adeptly as the adult one -- I admire the boldness of the students, and feel super old because I kept thinking "this is how I would react" when reading some of the teacher dialogue.
Also, there's an alien called Doctor Robot. That's just charming.
The Bad
I'm probably getting too invested in this, but I'm with Sanami -- I just can't see why any of the students trust Adrian. He's either totally ignorant and exceptionally bold, or not showing all of his cards, and I'm sorta hoping that he gets eaten by a monster.
The Verdict
THE WOODS continues to be scary and inviting at the same time, and it's a really solid young adult read. Even if you're not such a young adult, it's enjoyable and interesting and thoroughly surprising. There's a constant feeling of "what's next?" and interesting characters that keep fueling that.
7 Comments