by Jayden Leggett, Editor
Septagon Studios’ Lara Fuentes and Patricio Clarey keep the ball rolling strong and significantly ramp up the pace and raise the stakes in this next chapter of the Archeologists Of Shadows series, producing another great comic that is arguably even more awe-inspiring than the first.
Picking up right where Archeologists Of Shadows I: The Resistance left off, Archeologists Of Shadows II: Once A Nightmare begins with the lead characters Alix and Baltimo being thrust into the “Oniric” world (kind of like being jacked-in to the matrix, with their physical bodies remaining in the real world while their consciousness is transported to a world that is inhabited by their gods). Here our two heroes have to face a series of tests to prove themselves worthy of being the “Alter Egos” (the special beings prophesied to bring change to their world and fight against the human race being forced into becoming mechanized).
Meanwhile in the real world, the members of the Resistance are desperately trying to protect Baltimo and Alix by facing off against the invading forces of the Authorities, who are seeking to prevent the success of the Alter Egos’ mission and instead use Baltimo and Alix for their own questionable purposes.
The story ends “To Be Continued” (as did the first book), with both the Resistance and the Alter Egos ending up in very undesirable predicaments. Naturally enough, this cliffhanger ensures that I will be picking up the next book in the series as well.
Story wise, this book is very tidy indeed. The initial challenges for the characters were very cool, with Baltimo having to engage in combat against a twisted version of his own soul (who happens to be accompanied by an enormous armor-clad beast), while Alix must survive the very forces of nature themselves (including one incredibly epic tidal wave). These set pieces were great, as was the large-scale battle between the Authorities and the Resistance. While the events were deliberately fast-paced and quick-moving, my only real complaint is that Alix and Baltimo’s confrontation with the guardian of the Oniric world (think “end of level boss”) felt like it was over much too quickly, but I guess that could be because I was hoping for a lengthy and visually spectacular fight sequence.
Speaking of “visually spectacular”, the art in this book is even more amazing than last time (which I honestly didn’t even think was possible!) Using a digital technique that combines photography with sculptures, drawings and so on, I still to this day haven’t seen anything else that looks quite like the visuals in this comic. The scenery is awe-inspiring, and the characters are immensely detailed. As an added bonus and following in the footsteps of the previous book, this entry also include numerous pages that detail the art design process. It really must be seen to be believed!
Once again Septagon Studios have really knocked it out of the park. With a very imaginative story and utterly dazzling art, Archeologists Of Shadows II: Once A Nightmare is an absolute must for comic book enthusiasts and anybody who wants to see what the future of digital art should look like.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Archeologists Of Shadows II: Once A Nightmare 4.5 out of 5 cigarette-smoking robot angels.
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