The Old Guard Book 2: Force Multiplied
Greg Rucka, writer; Leandro Fernández, art & cover; Daniela Miwa, colors; Jodi Wynne, letters
Image Comics, 2020
Andy and her team spend this arc in search of the head of a large human trafficking operation. But the story alternates with Andy's history, going all the way back to the beginning. She has seen a lot of violence in her six thousand years, and the old friend who turns out to be the head of the slavery operation is out to remind her. Noriko was lost at sea hundreds of years ago, and was presumed dead. Instead she remained underwater, drowning and reviving thousands of times before finally getting free. In the process she lost all empathy for humanity, and became resolved to punish people rather than help them. This places her in direct opposition to Andy and her crew, so she has kidnapped their old teammate Booker to force a confrontation (she has also been repeatedly drowning him, as a bit of poetic justice). When it's over, Andy confesses the dark parts of her past to the others, and declares herself too tired and disgusted with humanity to go on. They leave without her, and when Noriko comes for her the next morning she goes along. Rucka promises one more, final arc. It will be fascinating to see how he resolves the conflict, and which of these nearly-immortals will survive.
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