Not all the witches burned during the Salem witch trials. Now, generations later, their descendants protect their ancient secrets. An Unkindness of Ravens tells the story of Wilma, a teenage girl who gets caught up in the witchy ways of the Ravens.

Check out our review for issue #2 below. (Need to catch up? Here’s the scoop on the first issue.)

An Unkindness of Ravens #2 Review

High School Drama

Ravens #2 picks up right where the debut issue left off. After meeting with the Ravens, Wilma heads home. She falls into a heavy sleep plagued by a strange dream (which the Ravens may be responsible for). 

When Wilma returns to school the next day, she’s immediately confronted with her decision to meet the Ravens instead of the popular clique the day before. Queen Bee Scarlett Dansforth won’t take no for an answer. Wilma’s new friend Ansel encourages her to stay on Scarlett’s good side, so they agree to meet up in the library. In the ensuing conversation, Scarlett tries to convince Wilma they’re actually pretty similar. (The whole thing has a very “Draco Malfoy initially trying to befriend Harry Potter for status in The Sorcerer’s Stone” vibe.)

Oh, and the guy Wilma’s taken an interest in is apparently Scarlett’s brother. Ah, high school drama.

A Big Answer and New Mysteries

Then things get witchy again when Wilma runs into the Ravens. They reveal a secret line tattooed on each of their hands – then mark Wilma in the same way. One of us indeed. (The school principal also has the mark, but covers it up with makeup. That’s gonna be important later for sure.)

We also learn Wilma’s connection to the missing Waverly. (Although Wilma herself doesn’t find out.) I’m not sure yet how I feel about this reveal happening in the second issue. On one hand, it seemed the most obvious explanation, so I’m glad the story didn’t draw it out for a long time. Revealing too late would have been anti-climactic. But was it too soon to reveal such a big part of the puzzle? I’m not sure. I guess as long as this reveal happened so that Waverly’s disappearance remains the greater mystery, I’m fine with it.

Final Thoughts

I’ll admit I didn’t enjoy the second issue of Ravens quite as much as the first. It was definitely still good, but it was another exposition-heavy chapter. However, the setup work wasn’t quite as well balanced as in the first issue. Still, I like the way Ravens weaves together its mystery with just enough magic to keep things interesting. When I’m done reading, I’m already wishing for the next issue. It’s hard to ask for more than that in a good comic.

You can pick up An Unkindness of Ravens #2 from Boom! Studios now.