The juiciest secrets always require some of the toughest sacrifices, and in the world of spycraft, this is a harder-learned truth than most. But what if you add the world of magic to the mix? What kind of secrets are out there, and what kind of sacrifices are needed to obtain them? The Black Tower – The Raven Conspiracy #2 tries to shed a bit of light on that conundrum, as spies and spells continue to make for strange bedfellows. Sometimes a bit too literally for members of MI6’s occult division.
The previous issue already did a great job of ushering readers into this new world with its established status quo, where paranormal espionage is the weapon of choice in a world that’s far from what it seems, and this issue continues that trend in the same stride. There are more layers to peel away; we get to see how other members of the team operate and, of course, a bit more context, as well as intrigue to build onward as well.
Devilish Dealings
Issue #2 starts with some very literal twists as we get a bit more information on some of our key players on the team. Yvette, our information broker’s methods as she quite literally consorts with literal demons to get inside information on the goings-on of the supernatural world. Though she’s well aware of the consequences of such, she’s fairly committed to her task come what may. In this particular case, the division is hunting down a specific spy – The Ozel – who has his own unique gifts that he uses in service of the big bad Munnin. Think Freddy Krueger-esque talents: if he kills you in your dreams, you die in the real world too. Fairly run-of-the-mill yet no less scary for this kind of world.
Meanwhile, Daniel is still trying to navigate this team and the world he’s been thrown into, where even something as simple as a one-night stand comes with its own risks and complications, a fact his teammates chide him for accordingly. On a similar note, the leader of the Black Tower, Alistair Romeo, and Munnin himself are making their own moves to try and stay a step ahead of each other. But things get far too complicated all too fast when, in an effort to save Ozel’s latest target, Daniel finds himself in a trippy situation where reality quickly melts away into a garbled mess of dimensional warping space and time.
The Coin Flips
Ram V once again uses this issue in particular to pull away the curtains just a little bit more, but does stop short of giving away the whole goose. That’s the hallmark of a good thriller like this, where you’re given just enough context without confusing the readers too much, just enough to hook them in and keep reeling with the tantalizing prospect of more revelations later on. Daniel is the reader in this case, and just as he gets pulled deeper into the world, so too do readers by the hook that Ram V has baited.
There’s a huge emphasis in this issue, particularly on secrets having a cost. Quite literally and bluntly showcased, in fact, considering the book literally opens on Yvette exchanging sex with demons for information that benefits the Black Tower’s operations. Her soul and sanity are certainly up for forfeit in these dealings, but she does so with certainty. The symbols tattooed on her body plus her motivations are still her own, but I reckon we’ll see more revealed as time goes on. Her questioning of Daniel’s own dalliances, the implication of his one-night stand not being just “casual” because everything has a cost – that also mirrors both her own situation and the broader theme of secrets and sacrifices. It’s a little heavy-handed sometimes, but it gets the point across even if a little too roughly at times.
We also get a bit more of a closer look at two halves of the greater conflict in this issue as well. Alistair Romeo, head of the Black Tower, working his own ends and means through KGB agents and other resources, operates across an entire frustrating system of red tape. He knows he has to do more, and sometimes even heinous things, to protect the world from evils they cannot comprehend. But he’s held back by the rules of it all. In sharp contrast, you have the antagonist Munnin, with his all-seeing eye, playing the long game with no chains and all the glee of a sadistic toddler burning an anthill. Munnin revels in the atrocities of his past, present, and future and is more than keen to keep playing games with Black Tower while also advancing his goals. His use of sleeper agents, and quite literally one in the case of Ozel, to systematically and brutally take out potential threats with barely a care in the world is also worth noting as plans within plans start to slowly unravel themselves.
Ram V also does what he does best and takes readers (and Daniel in some cases) to whole new realities throughout this issue. We see Munnin’s dreamscape of stark white snow and memories that are punctuated with the echoes of violence and sadism that he both overcame and now fetishizes. Daniel’s chase for Ozel also leads him into a potential victim’s trippy dream where anthropomorphic felines wait hand and foot on the dreamer, which is also quite the surprise, albeit far more pleasant than having to watch Cats ever again. With so many cogs and worlds and people playing their respective games, there’s a lot to unpack, and so far, Black Tower – The Raven Conspiracy #2 does a good job taking its time in unravelling the greater mystery of this world.
It’s a Dark World Out There
Mike Perkins and Mike Spicer once more give Ram V’s supernatural spy world its own brisk identity with the kind of line and color work, respectively, that reminds us why these three are such a great team. There’s enough sinning, spelling, and spying to go around for the whole Addams family, and you get to truly experience all of that in grim detail.
Perkins’ work on issue #2 is a great reminder of why he’s such a good choice for paranormal stories like this, but the unique premise of The Black Tower allows him to really flex beyond, say, the kind of work he was doing in Swamp Thing. The sex feels operative without being needlessly sleazy, the grimness of the world isn’t overbearing to the point of melancholy, and the bursts of interspatial dreamscapes having their own unique signature looks are a welcome feast for the eyes. There are such sharp contrasts between the more dour and restrictive walls of reality that The Black Tower normally has to operate under, in comparison to Munnin and Ozel’s own wild 4th-dimensional antics. A stark white background matches the blizzard and memories of Munnin’s past, while Ozel’s powers shift and move through psychedelic fields that channel the dreams of his victims. The cats are a fun touch but feel right at home in this crazy world that’s being built.
Spicer makes all of these feel vibrant without being lurid through his color work. With a very stark, almost noir-ish approach to shading the scenes, his playing with shadows and light goes a long way in really building the atmosphere and distinguishing (as well as blending) the worlds of the supernatural and spycraft. We see a lot of that with how Yvette is framed with her penchant for flaming shades, which highlight her presence and aura in otherwise darker spaces. Or with the distinction between spaces occupied by either Alistair or Munnin, respectively, through differing shades of the reality they operate in. For lovers of the art side of things, there’s certainly plenty to enjoy here.
A Trail Worth Following
Black Tower – The Raven Conspiracy #2 gives readers enough crumbs to keep headed towards the mysterious yet no less tasty gingerbread house in the distance. For the sake of that analogy, the gingerbread house is, of course, the promise of uncovering the greater mystery and potential world-ending catastrophe at the heart of this world. And Ram V, ever invested in the “everything is not what it seems” approach (that Wizards of Waverly Place made oh-so catchy), manages to expertly keep that intrigue and investment going along with some mind-bending visual support from the dual Mikes of his art team.
As new issues come out and we get pulled deeper and deeper into the thick of things, just like how Daniel did at the end of this issue, I’m looking forward to seeing more kinds of supernatural assassins, occult plots tied to mythological world-sundering events, and of course a lot of good character development in the vein of what we’ve gotten so far.
Final Verdict: Black Tower - The Raven Conspiracy #2 is another strong step forward for this budding supernatural world that continues to capture your attention by adding fresh layers of complexity and intrigue to its mythology.