In this dramatic and action-packed last issue, all hell breaks out (literally) in the fight for survival.
As Jesi and Which-Where struggle to find a way out of hell, Jesi slowly realizes why she is there. Even though she’s only a teenager who hasn’t done much with her life, her crime was that she thought she was better than others and lacked empathy for those less fortunate than herself. Meanwhile the “Real Americans” attack High Garden Park to destroy the food supply; however, they meet with fierce resistance from the motley crew of demons and the Oni. They are joined by Jian Candi who uses his own super strength drug on himself to help defeat them. But as the demons die and return to hell, Candi reveals an even greater threat they must face before he dies: The AI he built has a plan to destroy humanity.
Which-Where/Jesi has made it out of hell only to be met by other androids who want her to join them in destroying the Western Wall to drown the city. Not knowing the androids’ plan, Jesi urges Which-Where to link with the androids and it backfires. Now, Ren, Jesi’s parents, and the remaining demons must stop them, but they are outnumbered. It is a desperate situation.
The best part of the story is the character arcs. Not only does Jesi and Which-Where come to grips with difficult truths, Sister Invictus does, as well. (Forced to become a demon through her bloodline, she killed her family then spent the rest of her life on the run even after she died and escaped from hell.) Her story might be an interesting one to dig deeper into. All of the characters have complex motivations, which sets this story apart from many other comics. My only real quibble is that the reveal of the AI being the big bad wasn’t fully set up, and the “Real American” terrorist group didn’t serve a purpose other than as a distraction, which may have been the point.
The artwork, coloring, and lettering were dynamic and well-suited for the story. I especially loved the paneling during the fight scenes.
Overall, it was an intriguing story which did a good job of blending sci-fi and magic.
Creative Team: Tim Seeley (writer), Zulema Scotto Lavina (artist), Valentina Cuomo (colorist)
Publisher: Image Comics
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