Ash is now inside the virtual world, her ex and benefactor, Henry Walker, dead. Outside in the real world, those responsible for pulling Walker’s plug know that he brought Ash into the simulation, and a team of operatives jack in to find her.

This second issue doesn’t feel like it pauses for breath for a second, with a fantastic, extended action sequence leading to a cliffhanger which leaves us, and Ash, dangling until issue 3.

Curt Pires did some great worldbuilding in issue 1, but his script here really hits the ground running and trusts that we know enough to continue without further exposition. That said, there’s also a mystery as to what Ash has been tasked with actually finding in the simulation, and at this stage, we are just as in the dark as she is.

Artist Darryl Knickrehm continues to use unusual angles and distorted close ups of characters, giving them an unusually ugly look. Is that an intentional choice based on the comic’s themes? I pondered this in my last review too, and I’m still not sure. It’s weird and slightly unsettling, but that could well be the point.

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