Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 Review: EC Comics Returns to a Realm of Blood, Magic and Merciless Justice
Oni Press and EC Comics reopen the gates to the Cruel Kingdom with three vicious fantasy tales where monsters punish the wicked, frightened villagers make catastrophic choices, and royal power becomes its own form of horror.
There are no happily-ever-afters here.
Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 marks the return of EC Comics’ dark-fantasy anthology, delivering three self-contained stories built around folklore, vengeance, paranoia, political violence, and the kind of cruel poetic justice that has defined the EC tradition for generations.
The new six-issue volume brings together writers David M. Booher, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, and Matt Bors with artists Lukas Ketner, David Lapham, and Ryan Kelly. The issue’s table of contents identifies the three stories as “Feyfauna,” “Black Bag: A Cautionary Tale,” and “Fire in the Sky,” with colors by Michelle Madsen, Nick Filardi, and Jordie Bellaire respectively, plus lettering by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith.
The result is an anthology that feels unmistakably EC without simply imitating the past.
Magic may fill these stories, but human greed, fear, cruelty, and unchecked authority remain the most dangerous forces in the kingdom.
Readers who want to revisit the announcement can check out Comic Book Addicts’ earlier Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 preview, while Oni Press has additional background on the return of the series in its official Cruel Kingdom announcement.
“Feyfauna” Turns a Fairy Tale Into an EC Execution
The opening story, “Feyfauna,” is written by David M. Booher, illustrated by Lukas Ketner and Travis Hymel, and colored by Michelle Madsen.
It begins deep inside the Feyenwood Forest with a mother telling her daughter stories about the supernatural creatures said to protect good people from those with evil in their hearts.
What initially sounds like bedtime folklore becomes something considerably nastier.
Booher introduces a whole ecosystem of supernatural judgment. The Drydax waits in the water for the dark-hearted. The Faerix sense evil passing beneath the trees. The Gnosix set traps for the wicked.
And above them all stands the Unixorn, Queen of the Feyfauna, who rules the forest and hunts those whose evil echoes loudly enough to attract her attention.
Booher uses familiar fairy-tale storytelling as misdirection. The creatures sound whimsical when described in a child’s book, but Ketner and Hymel turn them into brutal agents of punishment.
The artwork is one of the story’s greatest strengths. The forest feels ancient and dangerous, while the Feyfauna designs blend fantasy creatures with enough grotesque detail to keep the story firmly inside EC territory.
The final payoff is simple, nasty, and satisfying.
“Feyfauna” is an excellent opener because it understands the EC formula: establish the rules, introduce someone foolish enough to break them, and allow the punishment to arrive with perfect timing.
“Black Bag: A Cautionary Tale” Is the Issue’s Darkest Story
The second tale, “Black Bag: A Cautionary Tale,” comes from writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle, artist David Lapham, and colorist Nick Filardi.
This is the issue’s most unsettling story.
A village lives in fear of a witch carrying a mysterious black bag. Children disappear after looking inside it, and terrified parents eventually decide they know exactly who deserves punishment.
That setup sounds like traditional folklore.
Doyle has something more complicated in mind.
Fear spreads through the village faster than truth. Rumors become certainty. Grief demands someone to blame. The villagers convince themselves that destroying the witch will solve everything.
Then the story reveals just how catastrophically wrong they are.
The brilliance of “Black Bag” is that its horror comes from both the supernatural and the human reaction to it.
The witch is frightening.
But so is a community convinced that fear gives it permission to stop asking questions.
Lapham’s artwork perfectly complements the story. His storytelling has a rough, old-world quality that feels like a disturbing illustrated folktale unearthed from another century. Filardi’s colors deepen that effect with earthy tones before violence and fire consume the village.
The story ultimately leaves behind one black bag, the missing children, and the mysterious stars beyond it, transforming what seemed like a simple monster story into something stranger and more tragic.
Of the three stories, “Black Bag” may linger the longest after the issue is finished.
Its lesson is very EC:
Sometimes the mob demanding justice understands the situation least of all.
“Fire in the Sky” Brings Political Horror Into the Fantasy Realm
The final story is “Fire in the Sky,” written by Matt Bors, illustrated by Ryan Kelly, and colored by Jordie Bellaire.
This is easily the most politically charged story in the issue.
Dragons have become weapons of the crown.
Royal officials use divination to identify people who may eventually act against the king. Anyone judged more than 50 percent likely to become a threat can effectively receive a supernatural death sentence.
The authorities insist the system is humane.
Instead of armies, sieges, and prolonged wars, they can precisely eliminate future enemies.
Of course, the word “precision” begins to look increasingly absurd once innocent people start burning.
The system watches citizens through crystal balls and other forms of divination, predicting potential betrayal before crimes have even occurred. As the predicted probability rises, officials become willing to accept greater civilian losses.
Bors turns medieval fantasy into a sharp satire about predictive surveillance, preemptive violence, bureaucratic certainty, and the language governments use to justify collateral damage.
Ryan Kelly’s dragons are terrifying precisely because they are treated like machinery.
They are not mysterious legendary beasts.
They are weapons platforms.
Jordie Bellaire’s fiery palette makes every strike feel overwhelming, contrasting the cold bureaucratic logic behind the attacks with the horrifying physical reality experienced by the people below.
The story becomes even stronger when officials begin confronting the flaws in the system.
If people know they are being watched for possible future disloyalty, can the predictions themselves create the rebellion they claim to prevent?
And what happens when the king lowers the acceptable threshold simply because he feels threatened?
That is where “Fire in the Sky” becomes pure EC Comics.
The system designed to preserve absolute authority eventually creates exactly the betrayal it feared.
Three Stories, Three Different Forms of Cruelty
What makes Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 work so well is that the three stories never feel interchangeable.
“Feyfauna” is supernatural revenge.
“Black Bag” is tragic folk horror.
“Fire in the Sky” is political satire disguised as dragon-filled fantasy.
Yet all three revolve around judgment.
Who deserves punishment?
Who gets to decide?
And what happens when the person passing judgment is wrong?
That thematic consistency makes the anthology feel cohesive without sacrificing variety.
The editorial material also makes clear that EC and Oni Press see the revived Cruel Kingdom as an ongoing home for dark fantasy following the first series’ 2025 debut, with this second volume planned across the next six months.
For more of Oni Press’ current releases, readers can also explore Comic Book Addicts’ Oni Press coverage.
Collector Spotlight: Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 Covers
The issue receives an appropriately elaborate variant program.
Cover A comes from Mark Buckingham with Michelle Madsen, delivering a crowded dark-fantasy composition packed with bizarre creatures.
Cover B is by Yanick Paquette with Dave McCaig, using the grim imagery of the Feyfauna story to create one of the issue’s most atmospheric covers.
The 1:10 EC Homage Variant by Shawn McManus embraces the visual language of vintage EC publishing.
The 1:20 B&W Artist Edition by Yanick Paquette strips the artwork down to its original line work for readers who appreciate the production side of comics.
The 1:50 Archive Edition by Rian Hughes takes a completely different design-driven approach.
There is also a blank sketch cover for commissions and convention artwork.
The published credits confirm Buckingham/Madsen, Paquette/McCaig, McManus, Paquette’s B&W edition, and Hughes’ Archive Edition. EC CRUEL KINGDOM 2 #1 REVIEW.pdfPDF
Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 Review Verdict
Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 is a strong return for EC’s fantasy anthology.
Every story approaches the genre differently while maintaining the cruelty, irony, moral punishment, and grotesque humor expected from the EC name.
“Feyfauna” is the most immediately fun.
“Black Bag” is the most haunting.
“Fire in the Sky” is the most ambitious.
Together, they create an anthology where knights, witches, dragons, woodland monsters, and kings are only part of the danger.
The real horror remains painfully human.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Book Details
Title: Cruel Kingdom 2 #1
Publisher: Oni Press / EC Comics
Writers: David M. Booher, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Matt Bors
Artists: Lukas Ketner, Travis Hymel, David Lapham, Ryan Kelly
Colorists: Michelle Madsen, Nick Filardi, Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Tyler Smith
Cover A: Mark Buckingham with Michelle Madsen
Cover B: Yanick Paquette with Dave McCaig
1:10 EC Homage Variant: Shawn McManus
1:20 B&W Artist Edition: Yanick Paquette
1:50 Archive Edition: Rian Hughes
Format: 32 pages, full color
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: September 2, 2026
Final Thoughts
The revived EC Comics line continues to work because it understands that EC was never simply about gore.
The best EC stories offer consequences.
Someone becomes greedy.
Someone abuses power.
Someone acts out of fear.
Someone believes they are smarter than the rules.
Then the trap closes.
Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 understands that formula perfectly while updating it for a new generation of dark-fantasy readers.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
In the Cruel Kingdom, it may not remain attached for long.
Join the Discussion
Are you picking up Cruel Kingdom 2 #1?
Which story was your favorite: “Feyfauna,” “Black Bag,” or “Fire in the Sky”?
And which cover are you adding to your collection?
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