The truth of the villain becomes apparent.
Creative Staff:
Story: Ray Fawkes, Aubrey Sitterson
Art: Johnny Desjardins, Dylan Burnett
Colors: Mohan, Triona T. Farrell
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
Because you demanded it! Tragg and Lorn return, but not even slightly in the place they’re supposed to be! Samson’s perilous journey across the dead Earth takes a fateful turn, and Magnus prepares to meet his destiny. Oh, and the moon explodes.Also: Doc Spektor, Part 3! The story of the all-new master (and we use the term lightly) sorcerer continues…as Doc clashes with one tough pixie who’s come to collect – and then goes Dutch on a date!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With one more issue to go, Sovereign’s sets up more of what’s to come in the various books that are going to be running. Fawkes has crafted a solid tale here overall, one that has taken a bit of time to unfold, but is also one that will read really well when you get to take it in with one sitting.It also doesn’t hurt that Johnny Desjardins puts in another great looking issue, though a few Magnus face/angles felt a bit odd when he was in flight, as he runs the gamut of locations and characters to put everything into place. This issue also has a backup story for Doctor Spektor with Aubrey Sitterson writing it and artwork by Dylan Burnett, but I just couldn’t get into it at all, which is something that I’ve struggled with when it comes to all of the backups in this series.
Solar’s actions the last time around has set things into motion that in a sense have already happened and that plays into the whole Lost Valley aspect. With it made clearer now of how it exists in all times and places, it makes sense that the evil/villain does as well. Solar’s attempts at taking a pass at attacking it in order to test it out reveals the way that her use of the energy essentially brings it fully to life. And not just in the present but in all the time periods that we’re following. This plays back into what we had with Magnus and his own coming back to the past and the how of that being wiped from his memory so it couldn’t be replicated. It still feels like there’s a twist to come from all of that but his being a temporal character (in a way that Solar isn’t) feels very important as he starts to understand how the unnamed opponent is now striking in different periods of history and the future.
Solar’s actions bring us the key moment of how the moon is destroyed and the panic that comes from that from her but also on Earth. Magnus has been planning for a cataclysmic event for some time and that’s put into motion, which is what we get from the 2500 year period story with the enclaves and the focus on Andar helping the dying Samson in trying to deal with the threat in the Lost Valley that ties back. Watching as the extinction level event plays out is fascinating and it’s an area where Desjardians really shines as there’s so much detail, it has the right kind of tension, and it blends well with the flow of what Magnus is trying to do and get to alongside the narration of events as well. This is where things really feel like they hit a level of clicking in a big way and all the buildup and uncertainty of events and intentions makes even more sense.
In Summary:
Sovereign was a book that I was pretty interested in from the start and it’s been fun trying to disassemble things and figure out where Fawkes is going with it. As each new piece has been revealed and the connections explored it’s come together beautifully. It leaves me very curious to see how it’ll be wrapped up, or used as a launching point, in the final issue next time around but it also has me hopeful that Fawkes has other projects in the works in this little shared universe. The events here have built up very well and there are such game changing – but known – things happening that it’s simply exciting to watch unfold.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 9th, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
