Ether #2 Review - A Fantastical Journey

Ether #1 was one of the more pleasant surprises of 2016, and issue #2 continues the delightful tone set by the first while revealing some intricate clues about its lead's past.

Spoilers for Ether #2 from here on out, so be warned.

The Ether is a fantastical place, but to hear Boone Dias tell it the world is just full of overlooked scientific foundations that most would rather just pretend don't exist. To Dias, Science can solve and explain anything, and there's a charm to seeing him rack his brain attempting to figure it all out. If Sherlock Holmes had to essentially just about kill himself every time he wanted to travel to his destination, he would find himself looking like Boone.

The central mystery revolves around the death of the Ether's protector, but the most intriguing part of Ether is Boone himself. The unfolding mystery of how he learned about the Ether starts to come into view in issue #2, and just like in issue #1 writer Matt Kindt reveals just enough new information of Boone's past to hook you in. You want to know what happened to Hazel, and why he finds himself destitute and homeless when he's not in the Ether. This eccentric scientist is a shell of his former self when he's in his homeworld, and you want to know why.

As compelling as the narrative is David Rubin's artwork deserves high praise. It's wonderfully imaginative and colorful as if someone injected a murder mystery into a Doctor Seuss storybook. Rubin is able to portray comedy and adventuring and at the drop of a hat, he paints a lonely isolating picture of what life is like outside of this magical place and succinctly conveys the tone in both cases with ease.

Ether #2 builds upon of a strong debut issue and takes another step toward best new series of 2016 discussion. It's charming, witty, layered, and fun, and you should definitely make some room in your pull box for it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars.

Written By: Matt Kindt

Drawn By: David Rubin

You can find the official description below, and some preview pages are included in the gallery.

Boone Dias believes that there's a scientific explanation for everything—even the impossible murder of the Blaze, protector of the magical realm known as the Ether. But as he gets closer to solving the mystery, he's realizing just how much he doesn't understand about the Ether. And the more time he spends in another dimension, the more his life on Earth falls apart.

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