[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Jon Davis-Hunt
Colors: Brian Buccellato
Letters: Simon Bowland
Summary
John Lynch finishes his roundup of former Thunderbook projects in a cathartic and satisfying ‘climax’ to this part of his story. Meanwhile Angie Spica has a run in with something from another world. Something this series has been building towards for months.
Positives
Unsurprisingly Jon Davis-Hunt’s artwork is a beautiful way to start the issue. The opening few pages are silent and allow his artwork to do all the talking necessary. Ellis is a writer that knows when to write to the strengths of his artists and this issue is a perfect example of it.
The entire sequence with John Lynch meeting his last Thunderbook project is great. Every person he’s met so far has been so varied and violent that it’s fantastic to read a situation where Lynch just talks with them. It makes readers understand Lynch the character that bit more. Within this opening segment the colouring is used to fantastic effect. Buccellato stands out in these pages with his use of the orange/ teal contrast. There’s a strong calming quality here which is nice for an issue of Wild Storm.
Later in the issue Ellis and Davis-Hunt play with the comic form, which is something they’ve done occasionally in this series so far but not by much. Panels fall out of frame helping readers understand the confusing nature of these characters’ lives. Davis-Hunt’s depiction of a Daemon in this section feels like what the series has been building to. Readers are getting ever closer to the end of The Wild Storm.
Negatives
The issue is not without its flaws. With two scenes in the issue the Lynch one is a true standout whereas the Spica scene feels like an exposition dump. The art takes over in this section of the book to prop up the walls of text aimed at helping the reader understand just what is going on. It’s an ambitious series and unfortunately, with an army of characters and only so many issues, there will be scenes like these that need to be there to aid readers in following the story.
Another minor issue here is that with such an array of characters, it’s starting to feel like some are missing. Months have passed since readers have seen certain characters, which would work in a collected form but with a month to month release (most of the time) it can be confusing and at time disappointing to see a character absent from a number of issues.
Verdict
Another good issue of the Wild Storm that shows why Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt are such a good team. Worthy of reading if you’ve been following the series so far.
