4. Rust Volume 2: Secrets of the Cell

Rust Volume 2: Secrets of the Cell by Royden Lepp

The first volume of Rust was a major standout for me because it was unexpected and amazing in so many ways that I've been anxiously awaiting the sequel ever since. Cloth-covered foil-embossed hardcover, amazing printing, and paper stock that is so thick you think you've flipped two or three pages at a time which is the kind of quality Archaia is known for. The artwork is deceptive in that while basically monotone and lacking detailed backgrounds it draws you in so immersively into a mood and a feel that you actually enter the world. Rust is short on words but they are effectively used and with just the right amount of room to breathe and take everything in to create your own narrative at times. I felt like I didn't go on as much of a journey with this second volume which was a slight letdown and it finished without a lot of resolution or new development in what is pretty clearly a set up for the third volume advertised on the last page. I think more could have been done with this volume and it wasn't very satisfying but it let me step into the world of Rust again which was like visiting a familiar place after a long time away. 3/5 (Good)