I’m not sure how much I can write about Lotus Land #6 without revealing too many spoilers. And I don’t want to do that. If you’ve been reading this sci-fi noir miniseries, then you’ll want to experience every revelation and resolution yourself. I’ll try my best to tell you how I felt about this final issue without spoiling anything.
The constant in Lotus Land as a series is its love of noir clichés and tropes. The final issue is no different. How much you enjoy the conclusion probably depends on just how dark and bleak you like your noir to be.
The noir tropes start with the art of Caio Filipe, which has been consistently good throughout the series. It’s always raining outside. Interiors consist mostly of dimly lit rooms with lots of shadows. As I’ve written before, the influence of Mike Mignola is obvious. These aren’t complaints, as Filipe creates great pacing and has a good eye for composition. The comic is supposed to feel like a gritty noir and Filipe’s art definitely achieves that goal.
It’s helped by the coloring of Patricio Delpeche, who gets assistance in this issue from Beto Ledes and Jon Amarillo. Most colors are muted with lots of grays. Even the images of the future, utopian Vancouver on a sunny day aren’t as brightly colored as they could be. They are still brighter than most of the issue.
BOOM! Studios
In the end, I find myself judging Lotus Land #6 with three questions. Did it answer all of the remaining questions? Were the answers logical and satisfying? How do I feel about the ending?
Well, to his credit, writer Darcy Van Poelgeest does answer all of the questions. We discover the secret behind how the Evermore technology works. In case you don’t know yet, the Evermore tech can resurrect any participating citizen of the future Vancouver, creating a utopia of eternal life. Of course, nothing so wonderful can come without a cost and the details of the shady conspiracy behind Evermore are finally revealed here.
We find out how the conspiracy involves the “gifted” children who have supernatural powers. And we discover what happened to Shelly Waters, the missing, gifted young woman whom ex-detective – and fellow gifted individual – Bennie Strikman has been searching for.
All of the answers make logical sense within the sci-fi world of Lotus Land. Actually, I probably should’ve seen the twist coming. It’s not that difficult to guess, but I have a tendency to keep myself from spoiling these things by not guessing. I’m glad I did that in this case, because it made the revelatory moment more satisfying.
BOOM! Studios
Furthermore, we also finally figure out what the deal with Bennie’s weird son is. I was a bit disappointed with this part of the comic. The relationship between Bennie, his ex-wife and his son was one of the major emotional anchors for me. And while there is a resolution in that relationship, it mostly takes a backseat to the larger conspiracy surrounding Evermore.
I did enjoy the return of Melina Ze, the crime lord, and her gifted henchmen, The Twin, introduced in issue #4. I wasn’t expecting them to ever show up again. I can’t really say more about their involvement without revealing spoilers.
So, how did I feel about the ending? Well, it’s really hard to write anything about that without even minor spoilers. If you don’t want any hints about how Lotus Land ends, then just skip to the concluding paragraph.
You still here? Then let me just say that I’m not really into dark and bleak noirs, so this issue was just a bit too depressing for my tastes. It all fits well into the social commentary Poelgeest is making about the benefits of the wealthy being built upon the abuse of the minorities. But for me, it was just a little too bleak in the end.
In conclusion, if you like gritty, sci-fi noirs along the lines of Blade Runner, Lotus Land is probably exactly the comic for you. The noir clichés fill the series from beginning to end, both in art as well as narrative. And the final issue doesn’t disappoint. It answers all the lingering questions left in the mystery while bringing the story to a form of resolution.
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