Title:  Resident Evil Vol.2: Marhawa Desire

Story & Art by: Naoki Serizawa

Volume 2 opens up with Doug, Ricky, Senior Instructor Ray Hsu, and Special Advanced Security Guard Tahir Kapoor who decide to descend into the control room to dispose of the infected school staff, who are joined by Bindi before going (though I don’t understand where in the hell she got the crossbow).  The group come across some zombies and of course all hell breaks loose and we get a sweetass action sequence. Doug and Ricky discover that the zombies are born of a new strain as they can run because normally, zombies don’t run. 

Kapoor gets bit when more zombies attack and Hsu is killed (like he truly mattered) though we get another badass action sequence.  Bindi goes missing but Ricky gets some shine with a badass monologue while taking out a zombie (the plant worker they found who died), even shoving his fist into a zombie’s mouth.  Doug and Kapoor take on a zombified Ray and both are wounded but manage to kill him.  Ricky finds Bindi in what looks like a sewer (why the hell is she even there?). 

Back to the academy, we get a sequence where Bindi confronts Mother Gracia about the outbreak, which Gracia stubbornly refuses to yield.  This broad cares more about the reputation of the academy that the numerous deaths that are piling up.  Rick, Doug, and Kapoor are talking and Kapoor simps up and tries to give perspective on Gracia as well as exposition on himself. Despite common sense, Gracia authorizes a festival for the students (despite the many deaths) and what do you know, the hooded woman shows up, infects two students and all hell breaks loose. 

Bindi finally does something constructive and puts the two out of their misery (where she got the hundred or arrows is never explained).  Garcia uses Bindi as a scapegoat to cover up the zombie attack (gotta admit this woman is cold as ice).  Ricky and Doug confront her on her bullshit and Gracia gives exposition on Bindi and her friend Nanan who died a few months prior while trying to runaway.  We get a moment between Doug and Gracia (the perfect moment for development) but it’s ruined when the hooded woman, revealed to a horribly mutated Nanan shows up.  The volume ends with Doug and Kapoor being horribly injured when Nanan attacks them.

The Verdict: In the end, Resident Evil Vol.2: The Marhawa Desire just takes things to the next level.  Not only is there more “screentime” for the zombies but we get more story reveal for the characters and the events leading up to the story.  The underground facility is a good setup and looks like a Resident Evil setting. 

Didn’t give a damn that Ray Hsu was killed because he wasn’t an interesting character but Kapoor has grown on me.  I would like to see some development from Gracia in the next issue. She’s starting to come off as one of these typical Japanese characters that’s hard to like though their intentions are noble (to a point).  You kind of see it when she gives Kapoor some guns and she gets this really dark look in her eyes. Also, I hope Doug isn’t dead because he’s one of the most well rounded characters in the entire franchise.

We get a bit of exposition on Chris Redfield, Piers Nivens, and the sexy Merah Biji and their search for Doug.  The three find out that Doug and Ricky have gone to Marhawa Academy.  I like the camaraderie between the three as well as the comedy around Merah’s reactions to Japanese food.

Serizawa is just great with the writing and the art style. He doesn’t hold back on the blood and gore, making the deaths very violent. Resident Evil Vol.2: The Marhawa Desire gets 5 out of 5.