The Untamed, Vol. 2: Killing Floor

The Untamed: Killing Floor #1-4

by Sebastian A. Jones, Peter Bergting (Artist), Darrell May (Layout Artist)

Hareth and Niobe, a dead man and a would-be savior, travel to the port city of Asarra Bay, a haven for thieves and killers, two of whom may know the whereabouts of Hareth’s family. They just so happen to be the ruthless leaders of rival assassins guilds, and neither has much love lost for Hareth.

It soon becomes clear that both have their own plans for the young child of light. Meanwhile, a child of shadow waits jealously for revenge, and Essessa, the right hand of The Untamed, is impatient to collect the devil’s due.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Doug Rusley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, because it's important to support independent comics, diverse creators, etc., etc.' I found 'Niobe: She Is Life' difficult to follow, but hoped that this expansion of that universe would be better. But in the end, it was basically unreadable. There was not one single page where I could follow what was happening, who was involved, or what the setting even was.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the second book in the Niobe storyline, this volume was much easier to follow than the first Untamed book. I still think that it's a bit convoluted in how the story's being conveyed and that it could be improved. With so many characters, it's hard to develop them equally when there's a very layered plot happening. I'm going to keep reading (because I bought all there was available based on the pitch I was given) so I'm curious to see if the story becomes streamlined.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I got suckered into getting these books based on the values of what several other reviewers have said: independent comics, diverse creators, diverse characters… but the books just are t very good. I don’t understand who most of these characters are or how the main character is supposedly to be sympathetic.

And don’t get me started on the portrayal of women in this series. I could write essays and essays about it, but I don’t want to waste my time thinking any harder about these writers.

Similar to another reviewer, I’ll keep reading the series because I foolishly bought into a set of the books at a comic con. #regrets #impulsepurchase

[Captain Comic Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the first but this one feels a bit rushed. A bunch of new characters are introduced and you barely get a chance to know them before they die/are taken away. You're supposed to care about them, but because you don't get a chance to get close to them, they mean very little and I ended up feeling nothing.

[Ericka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept, but was lost. The panels weren't always flowing for me and I couldn't catch on. I may need to read it again.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was better than the first and I had a better time with the art work. I really like this Niobe character and look forward to reading more of her adventures.

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep hoping that somehow this entire series will make sense to me. Still working on it.

[Erin Bookishness · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The art wasn’t quite as good as the first one but the story was much easier to follow, it’s all making sense now.

[Hannah Munford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first book, but still lacked in story building and making sense to the reader with its readability.

[Jasna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is better written than the first Untamed. I still had to read it more than once (twice, instead of thrice compared to the first Untamed) to fully understand what was going on, but I hope that's more due to becoming familiar with the world of Asunda. It seems to be Sebastian A. Jones' style to name-drop new characters in the beginning through dialogue to allude to them, do some more story stuff, and then introduce the characters themselves, which makes things hard for me to follow at first, especially in this still-unfamiliar world.

Another impediment to understanding, similar to the first Untamed, is that some of the panels blended the characters' faces in with the rest of the panel content that it was hard to distinguish their faces. The art, like the first Untamed, is beautiful, so I feel conflicted in that it also obscures comprehension.

When I did finally understand everything, like the first Untamed, I quite liked it a lot. The story certainly keeps me wanting more, to unfold the mysteries behind the importance of Niobe, where she comes from, all the bad things Hareth has done, more about the Morkai and the Galemren, etc.

I hope that as I move on to Dusu and Niobe: She is Life, I'll have gotten used to the art style, writing style, and world more to comprehend things better... but better yet, I hope the producers themselves do a better job so that I as a consumer don't have to work as hard, especially for pleasure reading. :)