This six issue series finishes with a bang with daring deeds, more family revelations, old iguanas, and very sticky four-year-olds. Is it good?
As Dominic and Octavia are trapped in the cell as Taylor tries to rescue Kyler, their conflicted relationship is shown in two flashbacks: first is when Dom is very young, sobbing as Octavia and Carlos fight; the second very recently, as Dom tries to come out to his mom, but fails when she becomes paranoid that they were followed and storms out of the restaurant. Back in current time, Dom tries to explain to his mom how difficult she can be when they are interrupted by Carlos, who shows not only his prowess at picking locks, but also his optimism that they can still be a family.
Meanwhile, Taylor proves that his smarts are just as handy as lethality when he tricks Roxana into a trap in her office. While Octavia and co rescue Kyler, Roxana escapes through the roof with Taylor, leading to a final confrontation out on the lawn, and a final flashback of the infamous punk show that started it all.
Is It Good?
One of the best surprises about this series is how optimistic and gore-free it was. With a title like Assassinistas, plus with modern media preparing me for blood and excessive violence wherever possible, I was expecting a lot of violence, but this book is far more interested in story than guts and gore. There’s also a wonderful playfulness and positivity throughout the series, but especially in the final pages — I finished reading it with a huge smile on my face.
Gilbert Hernandez’s art definitely plays a role in this. His super vibrant, saturated palette and simple style help focus on the emotions in each panel, especially his expressive faces:

Poor baby Dom.
He also makes the action fun and easy to follow, which I always appreciate.
I also have to shout out Marguerite Sauvage’s fantastic variant cover for this issue:
The theme of family is especially strong in this finale, with the culmination of the family of choice concept truly playing out in the final confrontation. I loved that while Tini Howard showed some of the worst ways families can hurt one another, by the end they have found a way to work together and hopefully make all of their lives better.
This is a series I will be coming back to again and again, and I hope we get more from this killer combo of a creative team.

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