Faced with an endless army of alternate universe Moores, Bill and Slim have some impossible choices to make.
Once again, Max Bemis and Eryk Donovan go buck wild with a revolving door of bizarre alternate universes. A sequence near the beginning of the book shows brief, single panel glimpses of the universes where Moore recruited the members of his army. The worlds seen in this section are wildly varied and visually intriguing, with some of them looking almost normal, while others are hilariously wrong.
Donovan also gets to draw some expansive action sequences in this issue, including an assault on an alternate Washington, D.C., that feels bizarrely timely. An overhead shot of throngs of enemies and fighter jets converging on Bill and Slim’s location serves as a particularly striking moment.
However, what really sets this issue apart is the way that it seemingly irreversibly alters the course of the series. Without spoiling it here, the book’s narrative changes in such a way that it re-contextualizes all of Bill’s narration leading up to this point. There are certain things that didn’t sit right with me in earlier issues that are brought into much sharper focus here, thanks to the latest bold leap in the storyline.
The events of this issue also allow further development for the character of Slim, so I have felt was fully beyond saving before this point. I’m still not convinced that he can be a good person, but this issue delves further into his growing sense of responsibility. The results are interesting, further illustrating that every character in Heavy has come to the Big Wait for a reason. None of them are heroes, but they can still try to do the right thing.
Of course, the big shift in this issue also raises multiple questions that are side-stepped, at least for the moment. Again, I won’t go heavily into spoilers, because I think readers are going to greatly enjoy the surprises this issue has in store. However, it’s hard not to wonder what became of the battle against the Moores after the events of this issue.
Even with a few nagging questions, there’s a lot to enjoy in this issue, including some exceptionally funny bits. Fans of intricate insults and swear words will enjoy one panel in particular, as one of the supporting characters is allowed to let fly with some truly inspired language. Letterer Taylor Esposito is also clearly having a ball on this page, giving each biting phrase its own flavor.
It may seem like hyperbole when discussing events in comics, but this issue quite literally changes everything about this series going forward. It’s loud, it’s wild, it’s messy, and it’s wonderfully Heavy.
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