The Displaced #2 is written by Ed Brisson and published by BOOM! Studios. Illustration is by Luca Casalanguida, colours by Dee Cunniffe and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Main cover art (left) is by Casalanguida and Cunniffe.
The Displaced #2 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
The survivors of the Oshawa, Ontario disappearance are few and far between, and those that don’t stick together continue to vanish without a trance.
Down to a final 12, what will the remaining desperate group do to survive in a world where by all verifiable means… they don’t exist?
Review
BOOM! Studios latest suspense thriller The Displaced returns today with its second issue, further lifting the lid on the mystery of Oshawa whilst leaving the reader with plenty of questions as to what is really going on. But after a tantalising first issue can writer Ed Brisson maintain the intrigue without losing the audience in a convoluted mythology?
We pick up right where we left off with Emmett and his buddy Zack trying to blow off steam in a bar. Trouble is Emmett had to step out for a moment and when he returns Zack no recollection of this old friend. Elsewhere, Lorena is in the same situation. Nobody recalls either of the series’ rapidly developing leads. It seems Old Man Harold was correct, there is a precedent for those left behind to be forgotten by their loved ones.
What’s most enthralling at this early stage in the story is the idea of the unknown. Emmett was forgotten in mere minutes but Lorena had a little more time to travel to see family. The remaining survivors suddenly find themselves isolated, save for one another and their reactions to that information forms the core of issue #2. Some are quick to make a plan, travel together and find somewhere to hunker down rather than living on the streets. Others are less accepting, leading to the series’ second big set piece as one of the survivors holds a studio full of people hostage on live TV.
There’s a satisfying push and pull between character and mythology. It lands in a similar vein to The Leftovers or Lost where both elements are able to coexist without one smothering the other. Brisson is also able to balance out the ensemble cast well, giving the different plot lines their own flavour and personality. Other than Harold’s proclamations that this has happened before on multiple occasions, we still have little information on the cause of Oshawa’s disappearance or why the survivors are soon forgotten.
Rightly, issue #2 continues to introduce us to the cast of characters. Bringing the reader to a point where we’re familiar enough that the story can move on to more of those mythological elements. Issue #2 wraps up with another jaw dropping moment which teases at the very least with what visually happens when one of the survivors is completely lost from existence. But as with much of the rest of The Displaced, the moment isn’t giving away any key details as to the how or the why.
Luca Casalanguida maintains a status quo from issue #1. The Displaced is an emotional book fraught with tension and for that you need an artist who can bring out the emotions in its characters. That’s exactly was Casalanguida does. Whilst settings and locations are alluring, it’s the depth of the emotions on character’s faces and in their actions which really sets The Displaced apart.
Verdict
A solid follow-up with a strong focus on character over mythology. With just enough teasers for the future, Brisson has brought us to a place where The Displaced is ready to fly.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
