Alex and Yuli flee their village and, avoiding opposing armies, find a woman living in a remote cabin. Is she dangerous, or can she provide them with shelter? Find out in Edenfrost #2 from Mad Cave Studios!

EDENFROST #2

Writer: Amit Tishler
Artist: Bruno Frenda
Letterer:Taylor Esposito
Editor: James B. Emmett
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: January 17, 2024

Previously in Edenfrost: After a pogrom chases them out of their home, Alex and Yuli flee into the forest. It is winter, and it is in the midst of the Russian Civil War. Soldiers from both sides patrol the area, and there are tales of a creature made of rock and ice that the children must have summoned. As night falls, they come upon a hunting cabin, and it is inhabited.

NOWHERE ELSE TO TURN

Edenfrost #2 opens with a dream or a memory, or perhaps the memory of a dream. Alex is in front of a large, faceless creature that warns him of danger and instructs him to summon the power. He refuses because he cannot control it yet. The creature tells him the bloodline is in danger, and that it and Alex are as one.

In the harsh winter of the real world, Alex is determined to survive and to keep the promise he made to his mother, the promise to keep Yuli safe. They stumble into the snug cabin and the woman sits down and demands to know who they are. Alex tries to be polite, but he is unsure of how much he can tell her. Yuli is angrier and bursts out that their house was burned down, and their parents killed. She describes their attackers as Russians in weird uniforms.

Alex sees the woman’s reaction and tells her that the Communists attacked. They have family to go to, but they need a place to stay for the winter. He offers to work for her. The woman, who introduces herself as Olena Chornovil, grudgingly accepts. Alex also introduces him and his sister, but under the last name of Leontovych (instead of Lowe). This is also the name of a musician the woman knows of. She agrees to let them stay in a shed.

Alex’s goal is for them to work enough to gain Olena’s trust. The work is hard – such as splitting wood. There is not much food. One morning Yuli looks through the kitchen for what she can put together for breakfast. The smell awakens Olena who comes in with a bottle in her hand. She wants to eat too. Yuli did not make enough for all of them, and her temper starts to spark, but Alex is still trying to get on Olena’s good side.

Olena is drunk and of a random temperament. She throws her bottle, and it knocks over a picture which Yuli picks up. It is of a young man, Olena’s Ivan, and she tells them the story of her love. She was a peasant girl. Her father died when she was fifteen. Ivan was the son of their old landlord, now the new landlord. She fell in love. When she became pregnant, he gave her the cabin. Olena is holding out for when the war ends, and Ivan leaves his wife. Ivan is an officer in the Tsar’s army.

Yuli and Alex realize that she does not understand that the Great War is over. They also understand that she hates Jews. They want to talk and use the excuse of foraging for food to get outside briefly. Alex wants to hold out until spring, even though it will be difficult living with Olena. Yuli is worried about what will happen if Ivan returns, but Alex does not believe he will.

There is a noise in the woods, and a lone soldier in a hat with a red star on it steps out. He says he wants to talk to them. The children are suspicious. A voice in Alex’s head says they are in danger and demands that he not deny his birthright any longer. The pendant around his neck glows.

HIDING DESPAIR

The art of Edenfrost #2 makes the tensions palpable. This is not a kindly world, and within the Russian Civil War there are so many other age-old conflicts that can come into play at the drop of a hat. When resources become scarce, enemies are easy to find. Olena has been living on her own in her cabin and has not seen her lover in quite some time. She has a rifle and handles it like she knows how to use it. At the same time, despite her harsh reality, she lives half her life in a drunken fantasy of how everything will be better one day. Alex can read between the lines of her story; Yuli is still too young to understand completely.

We can tell that the vision at the beginning shows us the connection between Alex and the golem. I like that Alex, even if it is out of fear, insists on not letting it take over. But now we understand there is even more pressure on him. He has taken it upon himself to keep his sister alive and he is old enough to know how to placate grown-ups. He knows full well that he cannot control Yuli, but every chance he gets, he tries to convince her to go along. And amazingly, as she starts to pay attention more, she does, and we can see her desperation to keep the peace as long as they can.

BOTTOM LINE: A TALE FULL OF TENSION

Edenfrost #2 is full of suspense. Death could be around the corner at any moment, and allies may be tenuous at best. To complicate the situation with a golem that may not be controllable makes this a fascinating read.

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Edenfrost #2

77%

77%

Full of Tension

Alex and Yuli have a place to stay…for now.

• Writing

  7
• Art

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