Elizabeth’s own plans begin to go into motion.
Creative Staff:
Story: Troy Brownfield
Art: Fritz Casas
What They Say:
Final Issue! You knew it was coming. A decision is going to be made. Kingdoms will be shattered. Revelations are at hand. And for Elizabeth, could it be time to assume a crown? Everything changes in a moment in a tale that we could only call . . . REBORN.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
This year has definitely been a fun one when it comes the Blood Queen series as not only did we get this six issue run, with this one being listed as the finale, but also a lot of good establishing material through an annual this fall. The series is one that has played well to a fantasy genre with a good sized story that’s big enough to span some time and involve a lot of lengthy and involved plans but also to be personal enough that you can get into the characters, the kingdoms and the settings in general to want to see how it unfolds. With the recent annual establishing a lot of what happened to cause the witches to be banned in the various kingdoms, this one builds off of that in a way now that we know more of Leona and her role then and just how far reaching her vengeance is. And just how easily it was to draw Elizabeth into it.
With all of that foundation, having Elizabeth kill Leona was certainly a surprise. And Fritz Casas gives us a beautiful scene of it here as she surveys her handiwork. That Elizabeth has her own plan isn’t a surprise as she’s a smart woman that has goals all of her own and she can see paths that are open to her as she hasn’t been as blinded by things as Leona has been. Leona has employed quite a lot of lies to achieve what she has so far, and Elizabeth worked within that framework herself in order to get closer to some of her goals. But knowing she can’t trust Leona at all makes it easier for her to dispose of her since she’s now a threat to what she has going on, having arrived at the kingdom. The shock from Leona in her dying breaths is powerful to be sure, surpassed pnly by how Elizabeth uses Leona’s blood to bring out her power in a big, bold and vibrant way – especially for those with digital copies.
Her transformation is quite the sequence and the pages it devours are wholly warranted to give her the feeling of power at her command a real presence. What the book wants to do at that point is to have her establish her position more, which means a dangerous encounter with Vespasian to get a few more answers and to deal with the loose ends that could put her at risk. It also makes clear as to her own heritage, which come across in a fantastic scene as she confronts him and his realization sends a real panic and shiver through him. With so much done to the witches over the years and blood magic in general, there’s a sense of the magic itself using Elizabeth to exact its revenge and she’s all too willing. Elizabeth is wholly willing herself as well, and her deceptions run deep with what she’s doing with Frenec and the kind of revenge she takes on Vespasian as well, all in service of her larger goals.
In Summary:
The six issue run and annual for Blood Queen has been an interesting ride, one that has built up a lot of things along the way and has opted to go pretty big here for its final issue. I’ve enjoyed the fantasy series a good bit and have liked watching as the pieces of the puzzle were revealed. The annual was a big turning point for me as it established a lot of things in the past that brings the present into focus while the main book has given us some engaging stories of Elizabeth doing her best to insert herself at the court in order to get her revenge. This issue takes all the planning and building and has her, quite suddenly, turning the tables on everyone without most of them knowing. The whole world is her oyster at this point and she’s got the playthings in hand to do what she wants now. Here’s hoping we’ll get to see it and to see more of Fritz Casas doing wonderfully detailed and powerful sequences like he gets to do throughout this book.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: November 5th, 2014
MSRP: $3.99
