Home Free #2: Into the Woods is a comic written by John Kratky with art by Michelle Lodge. Two women on the run discover that they are not as under the radar as they think they are. This is a sort of buddy drama with characters that experience conflicts of a verbal nature as often as physical ones. Our first leading lady is a woman named Sara who has had a rough past and has been hardened by it. With her is Emmy, a former prostitute who is dealing with some personal issues that have lead her to bad places. The plot sees these ladies traveling to Idaho while running into some issues along the way. There are conversational fights and vehicle-involving conflicts. The intensity level fluctuates but there is a persistent air of uncertainty. Action here can get pretty nasty and there are some gruesome parts. The dialogue is not the easiest to grasp as Sara likes to use a more poetic tone and language but Emmy tends to give it to us straight. There are a few wordy pages that might slow the story down a bit but it sometimes seems necessary for world-building. Overall this is good second issue that puts us in the shoes of our protagonists as they attempt to navigate the rest of their story.
This comic is drawn in black-and-white with higher detail on the characters and visual treats in the environments. Most of this story takes place behind the wheel of a car though they do make the occasional pit stop at a diner and a gas station. These location have nice background details that make them seem familiar. The people here are very expressive and wear most of their emotions on their sleeves with the exception of Sara who tries to maintain a stoic look. The faces here are in-depth as they showcase wrinkles, scars, and the other little things that make these characters seem alive. The action scenes hit heavy and you can get lost if you don’t pay attention. It isn’t very bloody and the lack of color makes it look not as bad.
“Is this worth reading?”
Yes.
“Would I like this?”
If you like emotional tales starring two women who are struggling with what to do next while running from their pasts this is for you.
“What would this comic’s film rating be?”
R. Blood and violence.
“Could I get a quote from the comic?”
“Any other family members I should know about?”
Digital Link: https://coffeetimecomix.gumroad.com/l/hf2digital?layout=profile
Physical Link: https://coffeetimecomix.gumroad.com/l/hf2print?layout=profile
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michellelodge/home-free-issues-1-and-2/description
***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***
Probably Contains Spoilers
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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 24
Violent Pages: 9, for 38% of the comic
Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic
**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**
Violence Level – 3
“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”
“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”
“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”
“This was a tournament arc.”
“All my life I had to fight.”
Gore Level – 3
“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”
“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”
“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”
“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”
“This is a slaughterhouse.”
Death Level – 2
“And everybody lived happily ever after.”
“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”
“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”
“Yeah this was a tragedy.”
“Think Gettysburg.”
Porn Level – 1
“Everybody kept their clothes on.”
“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”
“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”
“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”
“Oh. This is porn.”
