Is It Good? Revival #18 Review

And so begins another arc (or at the least the first issue for the fourth trade of the series) for Revival. Things keep on changing and the tension keeps on growing. Where will this issue take us today? Is it good?

Revival #18 (Image Comics)

Lots of things are going on in the story as usual. Officer Dana Cypress is still suffering from getting her back cut by glass and is trying to figure out who the arsonist was. Her sister, Em, is starting to bleed for some reason. Their father, Wayne, is investigating a local anti-government nut called Ed. Also, more creepiness with the glowing ghosts in the forests around the area.

And now, a PSA about partying too hard and too often.

Like with most of the series, there are a lot of storylines going on in the comic (if you couldn’t tell from my synopsis above). Lots of character drama, subplots, mysteries, and more. Also like what you would expect, the writing is very good here at being able to balance them all and progress each of these parts every issue. No time is ever being wasted or is lost focusing on something that is not important in the long run. As such, most of these stories are pretty engaging and you genuinely want to see where they are heading, especially with what is going on with Em and Wayne.

Of course, this story wouldn’t be nearly as strong if it didn’t have a fantastic and well developed cast of characters. Throughout these past 18 issues, you’ve watched the characters change and grow after every new situation they run into, like the relationship between Dana and her sister for instance. This issue had more of a focus on Dana and her young son, Cooper, and how they have been changing. It ultimately leads to a rather heavy moment at the very end where Cooper realizes something and tells his mom about it. Just very strong and powerful.

Big brother? OH! I see what you did there. You and your puns Ed.

Mike Norton’s artwork is just like the rest of the series; it’s good and really has not changed in quality. The characters, locations, the detail, the horror and more disturbing elements (there were some particularly good moments of creepiness in the issue), and the layouts are all very good here. There’s not much to say about the artwork that you don’t already know, so just know that the quality is good as always.

Is It Good?

Revival #18 is another great issue of the series. It has everything that you come to expect from the series, from its engaging storylines, likeable and well-developed cast, to its enjoyable artwork. With the first three volumes out now, it’s a good time to jump into the comic without having to get too many single issues.