Eve: Valkyrie #2 continues with Ran discovering the truth about the creation of the Valkyries and their goal. It opens up with Nisha interrupting her workout with concerns about the last time Ran underwent rebirth. Nisha informs her that all Valkyrie are required to keep a log of all the times they’ve done it but Ran insists she’s not like all Valkyrie. Nisha explains that every time a pilot goes through rebirth there’s some degradation, and that she’ll put in a note to tech to look into it for Ran. However, Nisha really wants Ran to look into the tests they’ve been doing on a new algorithm that would help them learn more about their enemy’s weapon systems and any information they could use to their advantage. Ran jumps into the simulator and immediately remembers what it was like when she first learned about and experienced rebirth. It was a man named Jirai Laitanen, who went by the name Fatal, who started the program they gave could bring Ran back countless times. But what became of Jirai, and how did Ran respond when she ultimately learned the truth behind the program?

I was engrossed in the start of this issue and loved the way rebirth was explained. Instead of the process of the Valkyries being brought back to life shrouded in mystery this issue rewarded those who enjoy getting deeper into sci-fi elements. And it was also great character development because the impact on Ran was touched on too.

And this wasn’t just covered in the beginning of the issue. When Ran has a flashback of when she was first introduced to rebirth by Jirai Laitanen we’re given the history of rebirth too. Jirai was an intriguing character and the “sales pitch” he made to Ran about the usefulness of rebirth and his opposition to the Navy was somewhat compelling. I say only somewhat because the way he explained the usefulness of rebirth was fascinating but the explanation of his opposition to the navy was lacking. Ran’s personal reasons gave more of a context to understand that than anything Jirai presented.

SUMMARY

Eve: Valkyrie #2 is an engrossing issue that does an incredible job in detailing Ran’d backstory with rebirth and introducing magnificent scifi elements.  this issues exploration of the process and the circumstances behind its creation are captivating. And Ran’s character development was on point making her a more interesting character. The story flow with the flashbacks and time jumps within the flashbacks takes away from the momentum slightly but overall this issue is successful in making the world of the Valkyries more fascinating.

Release Date: 11/18/15

Writer: Brian Wood

Artist: Eduardo Francisco