Image Comics’ Tartarus #2 picks up on the heels of the first issue’s explosive cliffhanger. The Baxnan military locks down Olympus Station to investigate the assassination of their general. Tilde needs to get off the station, even if it implicates her in the assassination. Her only way out is tagging along with her friends Sevno and Klinzu, who arrange to be smuggled on a funeral ferry to Tartarus.

The setting and character dynamics continue to gradually strengthen in a way that never feels dull. Tilde’s reason for going against the lockdown is deadly serious, for her own immediate safety. But Klinzu? Klinzu’s reason to risk life and limb is to see a girl he met on an app called Star/Crossed. Think Tinder but in space! Even with all the deadly politics at play, these small quirks of world-building add a lot of fun to the setting.

Tilde’s identity as the daughter of a notorious warlord remains the driving conflict of the plot, especially now that other characters are learning about this connection. Even so, Klinzu, the primary comic relief, has family drama of his own that plays into the politics between Baxna and Juria.

One thing I noticed in the first issue that comes up again in this second issue (and #3) is how some of the technology looks made of giant bones. The prime example is the funeral ferry that smuggles Tilde and Co. off the station. As a result, the future in Tartarus feels intimidatingly ancient and alive, rather than sterilized by its own technology as many sci-fi works seem to be.

Once a bright young soldier, Tilde now struggles with how to deal with being a fugitive. Should she do whatever necessary to ensure her own survival? Or should she help her friends, even if it puts her at greater risk?

There are more character revelations in these issues, though none feel contrived for shock value. I’m interested to see how they’ll be built upon, to help us understand just why Surka the Terrible was so notorious. And the most interesting question raised is if Tilde’s efforts to escape the shadow of her mother’s legacy will cause her to follow in her footsteps.

Tartarus continues to be one for the pull list.