Written by: Lara Fuentes
Art by: Patricio Clarey
Review by Melissa Megan
Alix and Baltimo have been dropped into a new place, sent on a journey to find the gods and retrieve some answers about the mechanization of everything organic in their world. The Archeologists believe Alix and Baltimo to be the ‘alter egos’, or the chosen ones that have the capability to find and communicate with the gods. Meanwhile, the Authority are in hot pursuit of them, baring down on the Archeologists’ hiding place, where the bodies of Alix and Baltimo are lying in sleep, vulnerable while they make their way through a dream state, no idea that their bodies are in such grave danger.
If you want to catch up with the story behind this, read my review of Volume 1. Volume 2 is equally exciting, a genuinely engrossing story that’s been meticulously assembled with love for the art of story telling. This book was even more appealing for me (if that’s even possible) due to the nightmarish landscape and amazing, fantastical scenes of Alix and Baltimo facing their fears and revealing their personal flaws. The story doesn’t lag for a second, there is never a moment that isn’t occupied with something creepy, heart racing or touching.
Then, there is the artwork of Archeologists. Delicate. Complex. Ridiculously detailed. Gorgeous. It’s a melody of multi media art that feels too large, too ethereal to be contained in a screen or on a page. There is no doubt that the worlds of Archeologists are crafted very carefully and with great skill, packed with texture, emotion and mood the likes of which you’ll be hard pressed to find in the majority of comic book publications out there today. Yes, it is that awesome.
Verdict: Buy it, now. Buy volume 1 and 2. This is a story that will hold you in it’s grasp and blow your mind with it’s visuals. I will say again, I really hope this story is published in print some day, it deserves that and I would be overjoyed to add it to my collection. For now, you can get Archeologists of Shadows through Graphic.Ly, Amazon Kindle store, iBooks and others. If you love these books as much as I do, check them out on facebook as well and show your support, as Archeologists is a labor of love from two dedicated and talented, but as yet fairly unknown, creators.
