The city of Skod, a city of horror in the heavens of Zhal for Adam and the Mud King, becomes that much more like Hell with the arrival of the Pied Piper. Now, horrid son against horrid son are trying to save and kill a horrid father, and a man with the world’s salvation resting on his shoulders are left, leaving the cursed citizens of Skod to deal with the repercussions of their untimely and unwelcome arrival.

The opening journal entries of Adam aren’t something that you might always take notice of. They provide a glimpse at the story you’re about to read, and honestly, it’s been fine. They’ve always been there as part of the aesthetic and the story, but it wasn’t until this issue that I noticed my heart racing as I read through that first page in anticipation of what was to come.

What happened is an issue reflecting on the decisions people make. We see the way each of the Mud King’s sons reacts to their upbringing, we see how the Mud King’s decisions lead to his current situation, and we see the choices of Adam laid bare. What’s not always obvious, however, are the reasons behind those choices, and it’s something that’s made apparent, especially with Adam.

Taking a step back and looking at the choices that Adam has chosen for himself, it would be easy to call him a selfish man. But what you have to realize is that the choices he made weren’t necessarily all on him. Yes, he chose to abandon the noble cause and throw his lot in with the Mud King to save his life, but it was to care for his dying family, something he wouldn’t have been able to do if he had died. He chose family over those who left him and his family to rot. It’s why his conversation in the otherworldly realm is so interesting. There is blame to be put on his shoulders, but there is also hope: hope that he is a good man, one that understands that decisions aren’t just black or white. The decisions he’s made are understandable and relatable, and it’s for this reason that makes Adam, perhaps, the right man to end the reign of the God of Whispers.

If there was to be an underlying theme in all the issues of Seven to Eternity, it would be about decisions and how they aren’t always black and white. Not everything is in our control, and, sometimes, we are handed choices to make, without realizing that there are more choices than what’s been given to us.

Seven to Eternity’s story, art direction, and themes are all crashing together in a beautiful story that reflects the hard decisions that we make in life. These elements work together to showcase an issue that although may seem like it’s jumping back and forth between beats, sets up a finale to the story of Adam and the choices that have been made.

Creative Team: Rick Remender (writer), Jerome Opeña (artist), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), Rus Wooton (letters), Sebastia Girner (editor)
Publisher: Image Comics
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