Everything finally comes together.
Creative Staff:
Story: Matt Wagner
Art: Matt Wagner
Colors: Brennan Wagner
Letterer: David Lanphear
What They Say:
Inside the Umbra Sprite’s stronghold, Kevin Matchstick must face an onslaught of opposition as he tries to rescue his family. While dark forces threaten to overwhelm Magda and Hugo, the arrival of an unexpected presence sows discord among the remaining Gracklethorns. Will The Pendragon’s power be enough to face the challenges ahead? Only one more issue remains in the conclusion of this epic saga!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The penultimate installment of the series is one that feels like it’s definitely taken a while to get here for obvious reasons but was also somewhat frustrating. I liked the pacing of it overall and that we got to dig into some fun areas with it, but at the same time I feel like it needs to be a bit longer because what we get here feels rushed. Matt and Brenan Wagner have crafted a fun work that looks great and I love all the little bits and bobs of it all here, especially as we move through several areas here, but knowing that there’s only one issue left, even if it is a bigger-sized one, just creates this feeling that it needed more time to explore a few things and bring everyone together. Hopefully, that won’t feel as strong in the finale.
There’s a lot of fun with what’s going on in the upper levels here with the Gracklethorns, especially with Magda and Hugo having escaped and Olga being taken down so bluntly. It’s something that might get more attention if not for the arrival of another that has the Fisher King, which the rest aren’t quite sure about but basically accept even if he doesn’t look like their vision of him. It’s a fun sequence overall with the Gracklethorns and it’s also continuing to be fun with Magda and Hugo as they make their way further into the other layer while looking for an exit. There’s some comical action to it at first with what they come across but it takes a much darker turn as it progresses with the bugs that swarm them and Magda succumbing to it just as she learns that Kevin is close by.
Kevin’s journey is still problematic, to say the least, especially with Mirth not being quite the help that we all wish he would be, but there are some fun moments such as coming across Abhartach, a really neatly designed bit of old-school scary with some things hidden within. It’s a tough one for Kevin to deal with but what motivates him, unfortunately, is Miranda taking on the form of a dragon and attacking the creature who doesn’t view her as more than a pest. Suffice to say, father protectiveness is in overdrive and he goes appropriately intense. While I do suspect that what we get here is basically something that will get fixed within the finale, it’s one of those sequences that I wish had more power to it instead of coming across as an easy motivator when Kevin had more than enough to motivate him already considering how close he is to the rest of his family and just in having Miranda near him while dealing with all of this.
In Summary:
As we close in on the finale it’s easy to get caught up in all that goes on here as there are big moments that are bringing it all together. The two main storylines that have been playing out are pretty much ready to collide, putting the family back together at its most desperate time – and that’s without taking the Fisher King into account. I’m definitely enjoying having Kevin Matchstick back in my life after so many years even if it isn’t’ quite delivering on the kinds of stories I had hoped it would. There are a lot of neat things at play here and I’m excited to see how it all wraps up and sends the title off on its final journey.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Image Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: December 12th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
