Steven Graham Jones was one of my favorite authors of 2023, and Earthdivers, Vol. 1: Kill Columbus  made it onto My Favorite Books of 2023, so I eagerly dove into Volume 2 as soon as possible.

Kill Columbus centers on Emily, Tad, Sosh, and Yellow Kid’s attempts to time travel to the 1400s, kill Christopher Columbus, and hopefully save the world. Earthdivers, Vol. 2: Ice Age is a very different story. Ice Age tells the story of Tawny and her accidental journey to the Ice Age landscape as she looks for her children. It’s a story of maternal fear, desperation, and the rage that lurks behind it all.

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Synopsis:

Guest artists Riccardo Burchielli (DMZ), Patricio Delpeche, and Emily Schnall join Stephen Graham Jones—New York Times best-selling author of The Only Good Indians and My Heart Is a Chainsaw—for a mission to the Ice Age exploring America’s pre-Columbian past!

When Martin and Tawny’s children disappeared, the couple barreled into the desert to track them down at any cost. Instead, they ran afoul of another group of rovers who claimed to be saving the world by traveling through a cave portal to the year 1492 to prevent the creation of America—an idea that defied belief until the grieving parents were lured into the cave and vanished in time and space.

Now alone, Tawny must adapt to the wild marshlands of prehistoric Florida, circa 20,000 BC, and the breathtaking and bloodthirsty megafauna are the least of her problems when she’s caught in a war between a community of native Paleo-Indians and an occupying Solutrean force. Tawny’s odds of survival are in free fall, but she’s a mother on a mission…and she’s holding on to hope that the cave brought her here for a family reunion.

In the tradition of Saga, the next chapter of the critically acclaimed sci-fi epic is here in Earthdivers Vol. 2. Collects Earthdivers #7-10.

Review:

Earthdivers, Vol. 2: Ice Age is an excellent entry in Graham Jones’s series. While it didn’t have Volume 1’s beloved characters, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Tawny is an unlikely choice as a focal character, but I appreciated Graham Jones’s heartfelt entry here after such a brutal first volume. There are still intense fights and bloodshed, but, from Tawny, it feels like more purposeful violence.

Earthdivers as a series is not to be missed. Stephen Graham Jones is a masterful writer, and Earthdivers is full of complex indigenous characters. It’s a genre-blending tale of indigenous rage that combines post-apocalyptic, alt-history, and science fiction. Through all its characters and stories, Earthdivers weaves the past, present, and future together with a single thread of hope for a better society and world.

If you haven’t read Earthdivers, Vol 1: Kill Columbus, you’ll want to start there. While Tawny isn’t in Kill Columbus for long, the time travel mechanic is introduced there, and Ice Age doesn’t re-explain it in detail. Kill Columbus also reveals important information on Yellow Kid, which impacts the reading experience of Issue #10 (included in Ice Age).

Art:

Guest artists Riccardo Burchielli, Patricio Delpeche, and Emily Schnall, worked on Volume 2 of Eathdivers. While I missed Davide Gianfelice’s art from Volume 1, I did enjoy this departure in the story and art. The illustrations and coloring work well with the story. Tawny’s expressions were believable and varied. I saw her anger and determination throughout the story.

While Issue #10 wasn’t my favorite issue, it was made better by Schnall’s art. Her work was superb and was probably my favorite art in the volume.

Final Thoughts:

Ice Age is a powerhouse of maternal strength and protection, and I loved Tawny’s growth as a character. While I enjoyed this break from the main story, I’m stoked to return to the characters from Kill Columbus in Volume 3. Bring on 1776, Benjamin Franklin, and colonial Emily.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to IDW for the advanced review copy. All the above thoughts are my own.