We’ll meet again. Don’t know where, don’t know when.
Creative Staff:
Story: Gail Simone
Art: J. Calafiore
Colors: Jason Wright
Letters: Dave Sharpe
What They Say:
A twisted love story gone wrong gets even more wrong as our small band of survivors are forced to ask for help from the only people more dangerous than the city’s heroes . . . the supervillains. Don’t miss this terrifying conclusion of the sequel to the incredible Kickstarter monster hit Leaving Megalopolis!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
And with that, Leaving Megalopolis: Surviving Megalopolis comes to an end. For six issues we’ve followed the Megalopolis survivors as they made their way back to the damned city to find their friend and savior, Mina. We’ve seen heroes turned to the vilest villains, villains prop themselves up as saviors, and true heroism come from the most fragile and human characters.
In the last issue, the band finally reunited. The rescue party finally found their target, and Mina and Crimson Shadow found Mina’s long-lost friends. Unfortunately, it turned out that the target, Mr. Valiant was a supervillain. He and the rest of the Megalopolis no-goodniks had taken refuge in the supermax prison, planning on taking out the possessed superheroes and using that as leverage to get their records expunged. The villains were just about to kill the rescue party when Crimson Shadow and Mina appeared. Unfortunately, Southern Belle was hot on their heels, filled with murder in her heart.
“America’s Southern Super-Sweetheart” tore through the group, but Mina and the rest managed to escape, albeit separating in the process. The situation comes to a head when Overlord, the Man of Granite, who Southern Belle had crucified to the broken Megalopolis bridge, came back to return the favor.
There’s a definite feeling that anybody can die at any moment in this comic, and because of that, the stakes actually feel real. With the characters in actual peril, their plights take on a deeper emotional resonance and their acts of heroism ring nobler and truer than any cape.
As I’ve been saying all along, the point of this series is that true heroism doesn’t come from superpowers or gadgets. It doesn’t come from costumes and capes and cool vehicles. It comes from the person willing to stand up for what is right. The person who feels fear, but overcomes it because they won’t be a victim to it, or let others be victimized by it.
Leaving Megalopolis wears many hats: horror, dark comedy, superhero drama, and—perhaps—Lovecraftian terror, but it also functions as a deconstruction of the idea of heroism: super and mundane. The premise that heroism comes from everyday people and acts structures the entire story and makes this a fascinating interrogation of what being a hero means.
The comic is also bloody, frightening, and exciting. Gail Simone sure knows how to make a reader squirm, and J. Calafiore’s realistic style really drives it home. Calafiore draws blood and viscera with appalling ease, and even my castiron stomach sometimes twitches when I see his work.
Thankfully, this shouldn’t be the last we see of Mina and the rest of the Megalopolis crew. Although these six issues function as a self-contained story, they also plant seeds for future storylines. Something bad is coming. It’s making its way through the dark, chthonic hole in the ground that stole the minds and souls of the world’s greatest superheroes. Whatever it is, it’s hungry, and all that stands between it and success are the normal, everyday heroes that make up our world.
In Summary:
Leaving Megalopolis: Surviving Megalopolis #6 beautifully ends one of my favorite miniseries. At times bloody and frightening, this story also examines what it means to be a hero and ultimately presents humanity at its worst and best. This is comics at its best. Dr. Josh gives this an….
Grade: A+
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: September 28th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
