The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel series (2018-2019)
image © BOOM! Entertainment
The The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 (2018-2019) is a supernatural horror / thriller graphic novel series. The graphic novel was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel series (2018-2019)
Company: Boom! Studios company
Original title: The Empty Man Ongoing #1-4
Series: The Empty Man
Previous entries in the series: The Empty Man #1-6 (2014)
Setting: contemporary fantasy Earth
Product type: Graphic novel, Genre: supernatural horror / thriller, Features: fantasy, contemporary fantasy, thriller, horror, supernatural horror, creature, super-human abilities - psychic powers
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Read: very recent (2022.01), first time
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points)
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This is my review of The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, a supernatural horror / thriller graphic novel series for the The Empty Man series from 2018-2019. It's about a cultist group who are trying to abduct a woman. The The Empty Man: Recurrence comic book has an average story, I only recommend it to fans of the genre.
"The nation is in the grip of a terrible pandemic. The so-called Empty Man disease causes insanity and violence. Government quarantines are mandatory.
One of the afflicted is Melissa Kerry, and the next step should be to quarantine her—but those who enter quarantine are never seen again. Melissa’s family won’t let that happen. All they have to do is care for her, keep her worsening condition a secret—and they’ll do anything, trust anyone, to keep her safe."
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Review (spoiler-free) - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel (2018-2019)
I've seen the The Empty Man, movie (2020). Then, in order to make some sense of the movie, I've read again The Empty Man #1-6 (2014). Then I've decided to read this story in order to write a review about it, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to search for it, after the incomplete story presented in the previous series.
The The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 graphic novel series is about a cultist group who are trying to abduct a woman.
The story is good and engaging. That is why it's so annoying that there's no conclusion at the end. The pacing is consistent. There are no character arcs. I didn't find any major logical problems.
The artwork is good, but not very interesting. The actions are easy to follow. The characters are few, but they are recognisable, and distinct enough.
The characters are few, but we don't get to know practically anything about them. Besides the antagonist, we don't even get to know their personalities.
Compared to the first series, I prefer the storytelling and the artwork in this. The covers are also more interesting. The story is more focused, although it's a lot smaller in scope. Just like the previous series, the story is one continuous narrative, without a conclusion.
The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 is an average supernatural horror / thriller series, that I think only fans of the genre would enjoy.
My experience
I was not satisfied with The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 (2018-2019). I really liked this story up to the last issue, when it just ended.
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points). The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 is a well-made comic book, that lacks a proper conclusion.
Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points). The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 was interesting, up to the sudden ending.
Rereadability: I'm not sure. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested.
Chance of reading it again: Low. Now that I know the story, there's probably no need to read it again.
Chance of reading a sequel: I'm not sure, I'm getting tired of the lack of conclusion at the end of the Empty Man stories. (Update: Yet, I still read it since then.)
The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel series (2018-2019)
image © BOOM! Entertainment
Will you enjoy this?
If you like mystery or thriller graphic novels, you might like The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4.
If you like horror or action thriller graphic novels, you might like the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 comics.
If you enjoyed the The Empty Man #1-6 (2014), you might be interested in this story.
If you prefer visuals over story, you should probably skip this, as it doesn't look very interesting.
Do you need to read the previous comic books to enjoy this?
I think there's enough explanation that you'll understand what's going on without reading the first comics series, The Empty Man #1-6 (2014).
Do you need to read the sequel comic book series to enjoy this?
As the story didn't conclude, I think that reading the sequel might put an end to the story. Although, based on my previous experiences with the series, I'm afraid it won't.
Update: Indeed, reading The Empty Man 3: Manifestation #1-4, graphic novel series (2019) doesn't really add to this story, however, it concludes the storyline started in The Empty Man #1-6 (2014).
Reading for plot points
If you are interested in supernatural horror stories, I think it's worth reading the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 graphic novel series for the plot points.
Should you read the issues individually?
As the story is told in a continuous narrative, the individual issues don't contain proper stories that could be enjoyed independently.
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The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel series (2018-2019)
image © BOOM! Entertainment
Review with spoilers - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel (2018-2019)
I mostly liked the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 graphic novel series. I just wished we got a conclusion at the end.
Covers
The covers of the graphic novel are okay, they don't say much, but they don't spoil the story.
Promise of the first scene
There's a woman, who is infected by the Empty Man disease. As she is the narrator, I assume we'll see the events unfold through her eyes, giving us more info into the minds of the infected.
Execution: We got some glimpses into that, but I hoped for a lot more. Also, by the end of the series, we don't even conclude her story, so I feel mislead by the promise.
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Issue #1
The issue starts with exposition about the setting - there's a disease that makes people violent or suicidal. I think this is a good start for a sequel, it explains things and builds upon them. I assume even new readers would understand what's going on in this issue. The issue ends with a soft cliffhanger.
Release: 2018.11
The cover: The cover is good. It's interesting, and it gives us a glimpse into the premise.
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
Promise of the first scene
There's a woman, who is infected by the Empty Man disease, and who writes her thoughts on the wall with red paint. As she is the narrator, I assume we'll see the events unfold through her eyes, giving us more info into the minds of the infected.
Execution: We did get to see how she sees the world, so I think this was a good fulfilment.
Issue #2
The story moves forward. The issue ends with a shocker.
Release: 2018.12
The cover: The cover is slightly interesting, but too vague.
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
Promise of the first scene
In a gym, a man finds something bloody. There's a report on TV talking about missing children. I have no clue where will they take this. I hope we'll find out what was that bloody thing, or what's behind the missing children.
Execution: We got to know that the guy found one of the dead babies. We didn't get to know more about the kidnapped kids. I consider it half-done.
Issue #3
The story moves forward. The issue ends in a cliffhanger.
Release: 2019.01
The cover: The cover is slightly interesting, although it hints at a gory horror story rather than the one we get.
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
Promise of the first scene
A cultist group prepares to massacre the neighbourhood, and abduct the infected woman. A girl is uncertain. I hope to see more about this girl, how he experiences killing people.
Execution: The girl finally starts to see, just at the right moment, so the agent could shoot her. I consider this a fun way to fulfil the promise.
Issue #4
The story moves forward. The issue ends without a conclusion or resolution.
Release: 2019.02
The cover: The cover looks good, but I don't find it interesting.
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points)
Promise of the first scene
Kids are talking about the Empty Man in a TV show, assuring the viewers, that the Empty Man will take the world. I don't know where will they take this promise.
Execution: I'm not sure I'm satisfied with this one. At least they've connected the TV show with the reveal of the antagonist, so that's a minor bonus.
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Plot summary / Synopsis
The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1 (2018)
There's an infected woman (Melissa Kerry), who writes her thought about the Empty Man disease on the wall of her room. Her husband (Andrew Kerry) insists to stay at home with her.
Their daughter (Vicki Kerry) goes to school. They have to take a test, looking for violent behaviour in the people they know, or their own violent thoughts.
A group of people visits the house of the family. They offer their help, as they are looking for people in the early stages of the infection. The husband refuses their help, but the leader of the group (Karl) reminds him that if they have found her wife out, so will the government.
When the girl goes home from school, she is stopped by FBI agents (Monica Jensen and Owen Marsh).
The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #2 (2018)
There are reports of violent acts all over the states. Kids and babies went missing. A guy finds a dead baby in a gym.
The daughter is questioned by the agents. When she asks for identifications, they let her go, but they give their phone number for her. The female agent has hallucinations, so she takes her medications. It is also revealed that they don't work for the FBI any more.
The daughter returns home as the group leaves from their home. She calls the agents, and tells them about the group. The agents think it might be a cult they know (the Whisper Oracles).
We see that the group leader is really the leader of that cult, and he tells to someone that they plan to capture the woman that night to avoid witnesses, but he is told that he should just kill the entire neighbourhood.
The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #3 (2019)
We see the cultists preparing for the attack to abduct the woman. A girl (Renee) hopes to finally be able to see the Empty Man after the massacre. The leader (Karl) reassures her, that even if she won't, she'd still serve his purpose.
The agents arrive at the house of the family. They tell the family that they might be in danger from the cultists. The woman welcomes the female agent, as she recognises that she is also infected.
They see the cultists gathering outside, killing people, so the agents try to call the police, but an infected caused something to the lines, so they couldn't connect.
From one of the victims of the cult, a creature of the Empty Man rises.
After killing the intruders in the house, the agents decide to leave the house with family. However, the creature lurks on the roof.
The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #4 (2019)
The kids who returned from the Empty Man are talking about the Empty Man on a talk show. They assure the viewers that the Empty Man will take the world, and nothing can stop that.
The creature attacks the female agent, but the male agent shoot it, scaring it away. The cultists attack them, so they shoot their way through them.
The cultists gather up the sensitives they've captured in the neighbourhood and take them away.
The female agent tells the family the story of the previous series. Creatures gather around the hotel they are in.
We see that the talk show is run by the people who ordered the cultists to kill everyone in the neighbourhood.
Then the story just suddenly ends.
The setting
The story is set on contemporary fantasy Earth. It continues the story some time (weeks? months? years?) after The Empty Man (2014) ends.
The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel series (2018-2019)
image © BOOM! Entertainment
The Empty Man
The disease starts with glimpses of hallucinations, then full blow, bizarre hallucinations. When the infected becomes obsessed with these hallucinations, they become more vivid. Some of them see a shadowy figure. At this stage, the victim loses their grip on reality. After this, many enter a comatose state, as if they are listening to someone speaking from afar. If a victim wakes from this comatose state, than their next act is often violent, either towards others or themselves.
The Whisper Oracles
They want to learn more about the Empty Man by observing those who have been touched by him, to understand their connection.
They are lead by Karl. They are commanded by a woman from the KPPV TV channel.
Plot points of interests
The were a couple of changes to the setting and characters.
Forces
KPPV: The TV channel that broadcasts the talk show with the Empty Man kids.
The Whisper Oracles: A cult, worshipping the Empty Man.
Characters
Andrew Kerry: Husband of Andrew Kerry, mother of Vicki Kerry.
"Cultist leader woman": She gives the orders to Karl.
Karl: The leader of the Whisper Oracles.
Melissa Kerry: Wife of Andrew Kerry, mother of Vicki Kerry. She is infected by the Empty Man.
Vicki Kerry: Daughter of Andrew Kerry and Melissa Kerry.
Changes to characters
Grace Simmons: She is delivering the messages of the Empty Man with her brother, Justin.
Justin Simmons: He is delivering the messages of the Empty Man with his sister, Grace.
Monica Jensen: She doesn't work for the FBI any more. She works with Owen Marsh.
Owen Marsh: He doesn't work for the FBI any more. He developed a medication to suppress the influence of the Empty Man.
Walter Langford: There's no mention of him. I assume that he probably failed to defeat the Empty Man. Or that it takes a really long time for him.
Technology
Anti Empty Man Medications: Owen Marsh created a medication that keeps the influence of the Empty Man away, if taken regularly.
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The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel series (2018-2019)
image © BOOM! Entertainment
Analysis of the story - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel (2018-2019)
I mostly liked the story, I didn't find problems that would have prevented me from enjoying The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one.
The structure of the story
The scenes of the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 comic book are played in sequence, following the same storyline.
There is no single viewpoint character.
The story has a truncated arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, then a sudden ending. The individual issues don't have this structure.
Things I liked
Problematic elements
#1:
The Empty Man kids are free: Why did the FBI let them go? They knew it that they would further the goals of the Empty Man. They should have been locked up and kept in secret.
Faux agents: Why do the ex-agents introduce themselves as FBI agents (beyond trying to mislead the readers)? It's probably more acceptable for people if they just tell that they represent a corporation or a group, and it's a lot less illegal. They could get into prison for impersonating an officer of the law.
#4:
Lack of conclusion: I don't like it that the story just ends, without resolving anything.
Update [Spoilers for Empty Man 3: Manifestation]: After reading the sequel story (The Empty Man 3: Manifestation (2019)), I know feel that this whole story was meaningless. None of the things happening here had an effect on the series.
The infected woman: She didn't play an important role in this story, and didn't do anything in the sequel.
The cult leader: Although it looked like he is about to be important, in the sequel, he just got killed by the Empty Man.
The secret leader: The cult leader was controlled by a mysterious woman. In the sequel, she was so unimportant that we didn't even learn her name before she got killed unceremoniously.
Owen Marsh: He was here only to serve as a substitute for Langdon. In the sequel, the first thing they do is to get rid of him from the story, then he was killed off-panel.
Unanswered questions
#1:
- Whose blood was that what the woman used for writing?
#2:
- Who is kidnapping the children?
- Why is that infected woman so important to the cultists that it's worth killing the whole neighbourhood for her? (Update [Spoilers]: Even later, she doesn't seem to do anything, and there was no mention of her being anything special. It's like the writers forgot about this aspect.)
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Possibilities of improvement
- Cut the beginning of #2, as it doesn't really add to the story, and we don't get to know anything more about the kidnappings.
- Cut the beginning of #4. I don't feel it would add to the story, but it takes away the pages.
- I'd trim the scenes with the Whisper Oracles, but it would be hard to re-organise the pages.
How it could have been better?
Adding a proper ending would enhance the story.
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
From the writers (Cullen Bunn), I might have read Conan the Slayer (2016), but I don't remember that. I also think I've read some of his Marvel Universe comics. I've read Cyberpunk 2077: Trauma Team (2020), that I didn't like. I've read The Empty Man #1-6 (2014), that felt unfinished for me, and this story is a lot better written.
From the illustrator (Jesús Hervás), I've read the first few issues of Androids, that I liked.
How does it compare to the other comic books in the series?
I've found this story a lot better in storytelling than the previous series, The Empty Man #1-6 (2014). Although, there was a lot more content in that storyline.
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Behind the scenes
Thoughts about the reviews of others
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The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel series (2018-2019)
image © BOOM! Entertainment
Uses for the comic book - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel (2018-2019)
Plot
- There's a woman, who gets infected. Her family tries to take care of her.
- A religious cult wants to abduct a woman to further their goals.
Scenes
- The first scene of #1 is a good way to indicate a woman going mad.
Designs
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
The hunt: A group of cultists wants to abduct a target person. The defending player sets up the playing area, including a house in the middle, and multiple houses around it with civilians inside. The defender deploys the target person in the house in the middle, and some warriors to act as a bodyguard. The civilians don't have weapons, the warriors have some weapons. Then the attacking player deploys the cultists at any edge of the playing area. Their primary objective is to capture the target person, and leave the area with it. The secondary objective is to kill everyone in the playing area, so there won't be any witnesses. Every time a cultist kills a civilian, roll 3 d6 dice. If all three shows a 6, a creature emerges from the victim, and joins the army of the attacking player. The defending player wins if the target person leaves the playing area, while more than half of the bodyguards are alive. The attacker wins if they are able to capture the target person, and leave the playing area with it.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian.
Agents: Human-sized modern human civilians, with a pistol.
The creature: Large insectoid carnivore.
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Similar stories - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel (2018-2019)
Novels like The Empty Man 2: Recurrence
Graphic novels like The Empty Man 2: Recurrence
The Empty Man (2014): The prequel to this story.
The Empty Man 3: Manifestation (2019): The sequel to this story.
Movies like The Empty Man 2: Recurrence
The Empty Man (2020): A movie very loosely based on the Empty Man story.
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Frequently asked questions - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel (2018-2019)
Is the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 comic book based on a book or a movie?
No, The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 is not based on either books or comics.
Is the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 comic book a remake or reboot?
No, the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 comic book is neither a remake nor a reboot.
Where can I read The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 online?
As of 2022.01.24, the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 is available on comiXology Unlimited, and Hoopla Digital.
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Resources - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel (2018-2019)
Official
Boom! Studios: The Empty Man: Official article.
Information
Comicvine: The Empty Man » 8 issues: Database article.
WikiPedia: The Empty Man: Database article.
Goodreads: The Empty Man: Recurrence: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 comic book (2018-2019)
: Review video about the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 comic book with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 comic book (2018-2019)
: Review article of the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 graphic novel, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤
Analysis - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 graphic novel (2018-2019)
: Analysis video, explaining the finale of The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4.¤
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Buying the product - The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4, graphic novel (2018-2019)
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Have you read the The Empty Man 2: Recurrence #1-4 comic book series for the The Empty Man series from Boom! Studios? How do you like the issues? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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