This series is moving nicely ahead to a great destiny, if this issue is any indication of the direction it is taking. There is no doubt that Ron Marz is capable of great writing and he is delivering some of his best work in this story arc that seems to run thru multiple titles, but at the same time is contained in the main Artifacts maxi-series. I like the feature that I don't need to read the other titles to understand and appreciate this story arc. Like any other universe, the Top Cow Universe is populated with different quality titles; it's nice to not rely on other titles to follow this story.
What makes this second issue so good? simply the consistent quality of the writing and the art. As many of you know, this is not easily achieved and it still remains to be seen if the creative team can hold it together for all thirteen issues. Here is hoping!