Forming Vol. 2 HC
Publisher: Nobrow
Release Date: July 2014
Price: $30.00
Creator: Jesse Moynihan
Format: 128 pgs., 9-1/4" x 12-3/8", Full-Color, Hardcover
ISBN: 781-9077-0476-5
Age Rating: Mature
ICv2 Rating: 5 Stars out of 5
 
Xeric Award-winning cartoonist and Adventure Time storyboard artist Jesse Moynihan (Follow Me, Backwards Folding Mirror) returns this month with the long-anticipated, follow-up volume of his ongoing webcomic Forming with Forming Volume 2. 
 
Begun in 2009, Forming, later collected and published by Nobrow as Forming Vol. 1 in 2011, is the cosmic-spanning, multiple creation storied exploits of gods, aliens, and humans vying for control and existence on prehistorical earth.  A testament to Nobrow's commitment to publishing high quality comics, Forming Vol. 1 and its successor, are beautiful works of art that genuinely replicate and capture Moynihan's subtle yet bizarrely colored and rendered webcomic illustrations.  Additionally, while originally posted as single page installments online, the transition to hardcover loses none of Moynihan's pacing and delicate timing, which only reinforces the comedic value of his visual narrative.  In dealing with such high concept, cosmological stories as aliens intermarrying with gods, hermaphrodite guides inspiring humanity, Greek titans battling for supremacy and labor control, and rampant sexual encounters that rival those of traditional mythology, Moynihan humanizes his vast array of otherworldly characters through juvenile profanity and schoolyard taunts, creating in the process an ongoing dialogue that allows audiences to connect directly with these wild adventures and laugh alongside their missteps.
 
Forming Vol. 2 continues this tradition, directly picking up with Cronus and Rhea arguing, Noah ascending onto a higher plane of consciousness via a ladder constructed of his own semen, and Iapetus turned Nommo waging war across the globe.  Where Forming Vol. 1 was about world building and establishing character continuities, Vol. 2 is the action-packed sequel that abandons the deeper explorations and experiments in universal creation myths and encounters for a non-stop, apocalyptical ride as fights and battles ensue on nearly every page.  If Vol. 1 established the stage and cast, Vol. 2 results in the consequences of those actions and decisions.  Moynihan's talent as a visual storyteller is more apparent here than even in the first installment--whereas Forming Vol. 1 employed a nine-panel grid on nearly every page, Vol. 2 breaks this structure with widescreen panels, full-page splash scenes, and fractured, some even panel-less, angled sequences that transition between moments in such innovative and inventive ways that Moynihan replicates the movement and momentum of an animated cartoon on the static page. 
 
Back again are the artist's irreverent color patterns, the psychedelic, vibrant paints that reinforce the absurdity of the pages in a way black and white could never achieve.  A rich, textual color palette moves beyond the literal meaning associated with most comics coloring.  Instead, Moynihan's colors embody a symbolic relationship with the audience that not only reinforces the mythological themes the artist is exploring, but also the higher, transcendent realities he is delving into.  Quite personal yet also simultaneously abstract and relatable, the colors become a character themselves, affecting the mood and composition of Moynihan's unfolding narrative. 
 
What truly stands out, however, is how Moynihan utilizes language within this never-ending sprawl of combat.  At first, some audiences may find his repeated use of profanity and "trash-talking" offensive or at least off-putting, an immature cop out if you will; yet, within the context of the book, particularly as the high octane sequel to his first volume, the expressive dialogue only reiterates the central theme of this edition.  While the humor may not be as sharp and witty for some readers as in Vol. 1, the breathtaking vistas alongside the more reflective conversations of Noah make Vol. 2 a worthy follow-up in Moynihan's planned trilogy.
 
To correspond with the publication of Forming Vol. 2, Nobrow is also reissuing a second edition of Forming Vol. 1.  Both volumes include a who's who chart for readers to keep track of the varied cast as well as grid of allegiances and antagonisms in the second volume. 
 
--Nathan Wilson