The Forever Home #2 Review

 

The Forever Home #2 Review

Writer: Christian Ward

Artist: Sami Kivelä

Colorist: Jason Wordie

Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Cover Artists: Christian Ward, Sami Kivelä & Elsa Charretier

Publisher: Oni Press

Price: $4.99 US

Release Date: October 21, 2026

 

Tommy wants to go outside and play. His sister, Sarah, tells him he can't because the adults killed the world. But neither of Henry's children truly understands the situation. People may have destroyed themselves and their ecosystem. Yet the world survives. And it changes rapidly as Henry watches the view outside his home. Nature may once again thrive on Earth. Still, Henry has preserved the best of Humanity inside his Forever Home.

 

But for every 20 minutes inside his engineering marvel, one year passes outside. After his son disobeys his instructions and runs outside, a few hours pass inside. As Henry watches the windows, his son returns a man. Will Henry let his son and his new friends inside his perfect home? And what has Tommy done in the years he spent outside? Let's leap into The Forever Home #2 and see!

 

Story

Twelve years have passed since Tommy ran outside. But he has never been alone. Tommy always had Dodo. When his dog pursued one of the foraging robots, Tommy hurried to bring him back. But after Tommy reached his dog, a grand adventure beckoned. His father never let him run and play. Henry expected Tommy to mind his manners and be a perfect little gentleman. But outside his father's strictly controlled environment, Tommy could explore the world outside his home. Then, when he was ready, he could return through the robots' entryway.

 

Then Tommy met a girl he liked. Her community took him in. Suddenly, Tommy had other options. The Forever Home #2 reveals how Tommy has fared outside his father's realm. It also explains why, once Tommy left, returning to his parents and sister proved more difficult than retracing his steps.

 

Christian Ward's story doesn't travel through time to the scene that opened the first issue. Nor does it reach the shocking end. Instead, it reveals Tommy's journey to adulthood. His grand adventure with Dodo is nearing its end. But perhaps the girl who returns his affections can be his next traveling companion, if he fully invests in their future together.

 

Tommy's father, Henry, would regard Briss's father as a savage. Yet while Henry preserves the cream of his civilization, World-Father Ensor seeks to preserve his culture and traditions. Tommy has brought joy to his daughter and contributed to his community. Still, Tommy's parents shaped his worldview. And Tommy's mother and father cling to the old ways that led to Humanity's destruction in The Forever Home #2.

 

Art

Dodo was a golden puppy who ate from a bowl nearly as big as the basket he slept in. After six years in Henry’s time-traveling house, Dodo's head reached Tommy's waist when he sat on his haunches. Now, Dodo's vitality is abandoning him. Tommy sits beside his aged dog. Yet time has also changed Tommy. A dark braid falls below his breastplate. Paint decorates his features. Bracers protect his forearms. An animal skin covers his right shoulder, while a giant leaf adorns his left.

 

As Sami Kivelä portrays Tommy amid his community, Jason Wordie adorns The Forever Home #2 with a vibrant palette. A cloaked man travels along a red-and-purple ledge. Trees choke tilted gray buildings in the valley below. Yellow lightning crackles through an orange sky. As his eyes reflect the yellow-and-red scene, the tribe's yellow-and-orange campfire links with the nearby wildfires. Yet a story recalls a boy pursued by nature gone wild. And nightmarish black creatures rise above the structures of yesterday, their red eyes and mouths evoking jack-o’-lanterns.

 

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou places black uppercase letters in dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Giant white letters locate Tommy's tribe in time. White lowercase letters fill the darkened wall behind him. Remembered conversations fill beige balloons and boxes, while white letters in red balloons haunt Tommy's sleep. Sound effects accompany a dog’s barking, a monster’s scream, and a warning that rings through Tommy’s community. Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Stories celebrate our way of life. They also preserve our traditions and culture. For the Tall Shadow Commune, campfire stories remind them of why they do what they do. Yet, evolving threats may require new approaches. So, as danger approaches, a clash of worldviews shakes Tommy's adoptive home in The Forever Home #2.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For more collectible covers, see The Forever Home #2 Cover Preview.

 

For how this series started, see The Forever Home #1 Review.