ARCANA

A queer found family fights ghosts, grief, and generational trauma in this duology closer.

This atmospheric sequel to Prentice-Jones’ Arcana: The Lost Heirs (2025) wastes no time, resuming in the immediate aftermath of the previous volume’s cliffhanger ending. The group of five diverse friends—Eli, James, Koko, Sonny, and Daphne—are dealt a crushing blow alongside a startling revelation regarding Koko. Desperate for answers, they confront the Majors once more, only to discover that the truth about the curse’s origins is more sinister than they could have imagined. Armed with new knowledge and aligning themselves, however cautiously, with the Majors, the five resolve to end the curse at its source—even if that means risking their lives. Fans of the first installment will be happy to see Prentice-Jones once again employing his moody, desaturated, tone-on-tone style with a fresh palette of violets, greens, and rusts that flow from one panel to the next in seamless gradients. Unlike in the previous volume, this work’s repeated pattern of problems and solutions feels overly tidy at times, leaving limited space for ambiguity or sustained tension. Still, the narrative focus effectively shifts in this volume to a more ensemble approach as Eli and James’ relationship takes a back seat and Prentice-Jones instead develops other friendships and a budding new romance.

Stylish and sincere.