I have been waiting 12 or so months to see how this sometimes great/sometimes just okay series would end. When it comes to a story about God rising from the dead to wreak havoc you can’t help but think anything could happen. So, now that it’s ending: is it good?
Clive Barker’s Next Testament #12 (BOOM! Studios)
Lame. That’s all my mind can think when we had a tantalizing story grow and grow and then it became a deus ex machina mess. Last issue the Holy Trinity showed up to show Wick what was up. The thing was, Wyck, (that’s how it’s spelled in the scripture according to this series) is a bit of a chaotic mess. He was awoken by man and started messing with things; such as making airplane travel impossible; killing a whole slew of the nation; and partying evil god style. Then, his Trinity showed up, due to Tristan evoking them right in the nick of time. Now Wyck is on a course to destroy all of humanity just ’cause he can.
God butt shot.
Writers Clive Barker and Mark Miller (I can’t help but think Barker had the idea but Miller brought it to life) have themselves an impressive story here. God rising up and being a dick is probably the scariest thing imaginable. The story has had its fair share of interesting reflections on society, but in the last few issues it has become a god mess; lots of destruction for destruction’s sake and lots of quick wrap ups. The thing is, this issue built towards something for a good 8 issues, but then decided to crap out on us and wrap up. It’s safe to say things could have been more thought out, because these last few issues are anything but cohesive with the first part of the series.
Stop messin up my steez!
The concluding message is heartwarming and real though so I’ll give it that. The characters, now stripped of technology and the things that we all take for granted, know that life is much more worth living. Is that the ultimate message? That we’re all living amongst technology not realizing the true meaning, and what brings us real happiness, day in and day out?
Artist Haemi Jang does a good job throughout, although his double page spreads are a bit too abstract for my tastes. There’s no real gore or sense of reality when it comes to the final moments for Wyck, which hurt his exit in the series due to Jang’s strength in showing the reality of things. That being said, the goodbye to the human characters is very strong.
Until we’re all dead!
Is It Good?
This was a series that had the biggest scope of any book on the stands this year. It had strong moments, intense reflective scenes too, but ultimately fizzled out in the end. It shouldn’t be missed though, because it challenges what we think of our own reality.
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