The great thing about comics (among many other things) is the nature of arcs, which are like little tasty seasons for our devouring. A downside of comics is also arcs, because the next one is never, ever guaranteed.
But if this is really and truly the end of Briar, then I’m more than overjoyed.
Since returning earlier this year with issue #5, Briar has not only continued to be this great and potent spin on your favorite fantasy stories, but it’s been even leaner and meaner than ever. Part of that is thanks to a new-ish art team (artist Alex Lins, colorists Luis NCT and Mar Silvestre, and letterer AndWorld Design), who have worked with writer Christopher Cantwell to deliver all the deep humanity, sword fights, and general fantasy hijinks you’d expect.
But it’s also because Briar really coalesced during this arc, extending its core message/themes of identity and surviving grief and guilt (among other notions) to feel even more lively and thoughtful. Whatever kept you locked in across this arc, Briar felt like it had reached its peak in terms of potential, emotionality, and general brutal honesty.
And that was not only doubly apparent in issue #7, but we get an even bigger finale with issue #8. Having been kept apart in various prisons over the last couple of issues, Briar, Spider, Roop, and Captain Bly have a kind of reunion of sorts this time around. And Briar #8 checks all the boxes you’d want for this “celebration”: lots of inventive action and adventure (birds and cannons, that’s all I’m going to say); some continually great dialogue that fosters just so much dang immersion; and some massively important emotional developments (not only do Bly and Roop have a tear-jerker moment about family, but Briar and Spider wonderfully complicate their relationship).
Courtesy of BOOM! Studios.
And there’s other stuff too, including the art team’s continually vital depiction of Grendrid and how they build toward that confrontation as well as rolling out some nautical stuff that I could be important to this book’s long-term potential future. (Or maybe I just want an arc at sea, IDK.) Either way, Briar #8 balanced big reveals and character development with fun, breezy action and solid world-building to do that which all finales should: make us feel energized about this thing, and to celebrate its power before it dips out.
But then the question begs, is Briar actually coming back for a third arc? And, from a logistical standpoint, that totally seems like the way to go. Mostly because there’s still more work to be done — Briar not only has unfinished business, obviously, but Roop has a whole storyline that they need to explore. We also have to see how Briar and Spider’s relationship develops, what’s to happen with a new character that’s introduced, the fate of Captain Bly (no way he’s done based on his speech in this issue, right?), and Warden Straw’s men may or may not want to get something akin to revenge (or just continue their torturing).
The point is, Briar ain’t over whatsoever, and it laid out its big plans not with a mission to tease but only to feel thrilling and exciting. To show us another level of the map and to have us feel excited to search out the answers from an emotional level and not just because we can’t say no to more content. It’s a midseason finale if I ever saw one, and the kind of story that hints at years more of story to tell without feeling cheap or as if anything’s being needlessly dragged on.
Courtesy of BOOM! Studios.
But what if this really is the end of Briar? That, for reasons either deliberate or due to the machinations of this industry, this is the last we see of the whole crew. I for one would be sad, but I’d certainly respect the choice and also feel hugely satisfied. Because Briar #8 may have laid out the future near-perfectly, but it also did so in a way that this could be a deeply, deeply satisfying end. There’s talk across this issue of a new world coming, and that not everyone may be around to see it. That, and there was an overwhelming warmth/glow to certain scenes — the very final page practically radiates a gorgeous, life-affirming light — that made me think we were all sailing off into the sunset.
And those ideas/notions together are huge; sometimes change leaves you behind, and you have to be satisfied that someone else gets a turn to do it better. Or, that overcoming shortcomings and trauma doesn’t always mean a happy ending, and often the real joy is knowing there’s more work to be done. It’s not the most obviously satisfying approach in storytelling, but it damn sure works for Briar. It’d be another way for this book to engage us in a real and organic way, and to tell a different kind of story about seizing our own destinies and overcoming pain. Not seeing the crew get what they deserve doesn’t make me want good things for them even one iota less.
Courtesy of BOOM! Studios.
And that, my friends, is why Briar is such a profound and deeply compelling book. It’s made decisions that aren’t always easy for us readers, but it’s always been massively exciting and resonant on a near-primal level. We’ve found a real and true family in this adventure, and it’s been a joy to see them grow and develop even if we never see the journey’s true conclusion.
Because great stories don’t always happen in easily predictable loops and patterns; sometimes they move and extend in ways we can’t always see (or fully experience). But as Briar proves, these kinds of tales can be extra satisfying, and I’m so excited for what’s next for this. Even if it’s just more re-reads every year or so.
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