The Stuff of Legend Vol. 2 - The Jungle #2 Review

Well, this is embarrassing. I could have sworn that I had reviewed this issue already, which came out more than a month ago. As always, the creative team of The Stuff of Legend sent us a review copy, and it would be terribly rude not to review it. Not to mention a shame because I have reviewed every issue so far. Better late than never is what I always say! Hit the jump to read the review of this comic.

The Stuff of Legend - The Jungle #2

Written by Mike Raitch & Brian Smith

Art by Charles Paul Wilson III

Design and Color by Jon Conkling & Michael DeVito

When we last left our rebel band of toys, they were under siege by the forces of the Boogeyman, though a last minute development turned the tables. Or rather, the table was flipped and thrown on the floor. The Golems showed up.

In this issue we learn that the Golems are giant creatures made out of Play-Doh, clay, or something along those lines. The Boy used to play with them in a rather destructive manner, so in the dark they become like an unstoppable force of nature that destroys everything in their path. This is not the first time that we see that the personalities and traits of the characters were imbued into the toys by The Boy. Another such example is The General. We learn the origin of his personality and how he joined the Boogeyman’s side, and more importantly, we learn of his inability to defeat the Golems no matter how many times they clash (by the way, I still think that The General is going to eventually join or aid the group of toys).

In the aftermath of the attack of the Golems, the group of toys is captured under the rubble. Percy (the pig) receives a visit from the Boogeyman, who hints that there’s another toy with a secret to hide. At this point, we know very little of the characters, just their outermost appearance and the personalities they present to the group. Anyone of them could be hiding secrets. We’ll see how it plays out, but I’m sure we will find out before long. The band of toys is badly wounded and tired from their constant fights, so they retreat into the jungle to escape the army that still chases them. Of course, this all turns out to be Percy running interference at the orders of the Boogeyman.

Once into the Jungle, they run into a group of animal toys which leads to even more conflict. It’s a fun scene, and it adds another layer to the conflict between the toys: the animal toys of the Jungle do not like the toys that are human shaped, which they associate with their time under the ownership (slavery?) of The Boy. We also meet The First One, which is the first toy that The Boy ever owned, who is respected, though not necessarily liked, by all the other toys. In the end, the group of toys find themselves once again captured and imprisoned by other toys. To act as a bookend, there’s a scene with The Boy attempting to escape captivity with the help of his friend (who, to be honest, I don’t trust).

The creative team of Stuff of Legend are slowly unraveling the mysteries, but for everyone hint at an answer we get two more questions. The series becomes more intriguing as it goes, and I can’t wait to read the next chapter (which, because I took so long to review this, probably won’t be long now). The art is spectacular as usual, so I shall not waste time trying to quantify how good it is. Just look at some of the attached pages, and all you need to know is that the rest of the book is equally splendid.

Verdict - Must Read. Stuff of Legend hasn’t missed a step since it started, and every issue is part of a crescendo leading up to something big. If you are not reading this now, you will regret it later down the road.

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