Eve: Children of the Moon
After saving the world, what does it take to build a new one?
Boom! Studios presents the sequel to 2022’s Eve from Victor LaValle and Jo Mi-Gyeong. Children of the Moon finds Eve, her sister/clone, and Wexler trying to reestablish society in a world reborn, but without the guidance of Eve’s parents and with societies of rescued children scattered across the country coming to terms with the fact that the world is theirs to shape. When one known outpost fails to respond to attempts at communication, Eve and the others decide to pay a visit for themselves.
What they discover is a group known as the Children of the Moon, led by Selene. Cut off from the world, Selene and the children in her care have faced violence and it has changed them. They demand Wexler’s head as justice for past crimes, and Eve finds herself in a struggle she never expected to face—against the very people she believed she had saved. And when a new AI awakes with protocols of its own, everyone involved will face the possibilities of a world they don’t recognize.
LaValle returns to writing this sequel with many of the same themes that defined the first one while expanding on the world in new and unexpected ways. What is the world adults leave to their children? Going deeper into some of the questions established in the first volume, LaValle centers a coming-of-age story of children who have faced violence and trauma and now must each find their own way to grow beyond their pasts. Into this, he weaves questions of identity between Eve and her sister—each trying to define themselves apart from the other—and hard ideas of justice and forgiveness for past wrongs and current allies. This brings together layers of complex storytelling all wrapped up in a dynamic sci-fi survival thriller written for teens and adults alike to enjoy.
With vibrant color and action, Jo Mi-Gyeong and the rest of the visual team brings Eve and the others to life once more as they venture into the harsh and snow-covered landscapes of a brand-new territory. From the horrors of the diseased adult monstrosities to the mysteries and terrors of AI to the deep emotion of children forced to come of age far too soon, Mi-Gyeong balances a bright and somewhat cartoon style with enough grounded realism and tangible detail to keep the story tethered in reality and landing the emotional beats when they come.
While it is a sequel and functions best with an understanding of the events in the first volume, Eve: Children of the Moon offers enough of a standalone story with embedded recap that a new reader could begin here without a great deal of difficulty. Yet again, there are some intense themes and mild horror elements, but the story and visuals overall are perfectly acceptable for readers aged teen and older.
Overall, while there are a few beats and pacing elements that don’t land quite right as delivered, Eve: Children of the Moon is largely an ambitious and successful successor to the first volume. Balancing a variety of complex themes alongside an exciting and intriguing narrative, the creative team clearly cares about the lives of the characters they have created and have something to say about our world, even as they introduce us to another.
Eve: Children of the MoonÂ
By Victor LaValle
Art by Jo Mi-Gyeong
BOOM! Studios, 2023
ISBN: 9781646688760
Publisher Age Rating: 14+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
Creator Representation:Â Black, Korean
Character Representation:Â Black
