If you're a fan of fellow Image Comic "Sovereign", it's fairly safe to put your money on this title. While "Dark Engine" is much more nihilistic " not to mention gory " its scale and grandeur and density make it another epic story that challenges and rewards at the same time. It is hard to say, at this early point, whether the story has the meat and tenacity to stay interesting in the long term; it could, after all, go on repeating the same formula that structured the first two issues. But for now, there's no denying the uniqueness of this concept and the flair with which it's being executed. There's nothing like watching a vicious character set history on fire; and even if that's an itch you don't think you have, you'll get it scratched when you read "Dark Engine". Read Full Review

Unfortunately, this issue does very little to advance the plot. Sym gets a surprising amount of character development, despite her uttering a single line and only appearing on two pages. Bivens' art really gets a lot across about the character. In addition, the post apocalyptic world, where the Alchemist's Tower exists, is a very interesting setting, one that I am enticed by. I would love to see more, as everything we've seen there has been some of the best material this comic has to offer. The issue ends in a similar manner to the first issue, and one would hope that this new time that Sym has travelled too will do more to progress the plot than her time in Egypt did. Read Full Review

Dark Engine #2 is not something I expected to like as much as I did. It's an odd odyssey with all types of adult subject matter but with enough historical resonance and scope to act as an epic that just tickled my fancy. To sum up: this comic book may not be the norm but nonestheless it comes recommended. Read Full Review

While the story seems to calm down from issue ones bloody start, John Bivens artwork stays consistent. The sketched style helps give the art energy, and eventually helps with microbial details. Dark Engine is intriguing and paced just quick enough to keep a readers interest, and keep the slow burn pacing up. Read Full Review

A very diverse second issue. The art overshadows the plot but has one hell of an interesting cliffhanger which would make an excellent follow-on point Read Full Review

John Bivens has created some truly stunning artwork for this series. The creatures are violent whether they are on the enormous side or the smaller scale and Sym is graceful yet lethal. The movement created in the fight scenes is intense and it feels as though the battles were happening right in front of your eyes. The world he is visually creating is hard to describe in words, being as there are many settings from the Sporelands and the Alchemists immense tower to the different time periods and locations of Syms travel. Bizens truly has been given the creative freedom to do what he wants, and in truth, he uses this freedom to his advantage and creates some fantastic visual story telling. Read Full Review

It's unfortunate this comic is so befuddling. There's not much to go on be it story or structure and the reader isn't given much in the way of clues. If say, there was at least a note on what year these characters are in, we'd at least have an idea how the pieces relate. Alas we don't, and so we're left with an overly bamboozling comic to say the least. Read Full Review

I really want to like this series. John Bivens' art is interesting and fits the story that Ryan Burton is trying to tell. The problem still lies in the actual story we are reading. This issue does better in fleshing out the story, but not enough IMO. We are told a story of a tribe worshiping Sym, before it goes back to her creators and learn about poison spores instead of Sym or the Death Engine. I hope things change next issue, or I for one will be dropping this series. Full Thoughts and Preview at Images Unplugged