Warning! Spoilers for Dark Empty Void.
I really wanted to love Dark Empty Void #5, the final issue in the sci-fi adventure mini-series from writer Zack Kaplan and artist Chris Shehan, published by Mad Cave Studios. More than the intriguing physics-based premise, I was mainly sucked in by the sympathetic, authentic characters going through real-world problems. Unfortunately – although it brings the story to a satisfying and hopeful ending – this last issue didn’t manage to hook me as emotionally as the previous four did.
On the positive side, Shehan’s art remains awesome, mixing deep detail-rich backgrounds with intimate facial expressions and natural body language. The opening splash page looks like the first shot of an interesting family-centered sci-fi adventure. Shehan also plays with some fun panel layouts, like progressively lower panels as the characters fall down an elevator shaft. And every image of the black hole is truly impressive.
Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios
My biggest disappointment with Dark Empty Void #5 is that it didn’t really do anything more with the character arcs than what had already been done – and done better – in the previous four issues. We’d already figured out that Art – the teenage girl who came out of the black hole – represented the child the main characters, Joy and Colsen, never had. We’d already seen Joy and Colsen reconciling their struggling marriage. And we’d already recognized Joy’s determination to help Art get back into the black hole as a representation of her willingness to get over her fear of motherhood.
Instead of delving further into these complex relationship themes, issue #5 feels more like a string of plot points in the sci-fi adventure. Although issue #4 ended with Joy and Colsen supporting Art as they headed toward the black hole together, this issue starts with them once again running away from dangerous alien creatures. It’s unnecessary to the story, and feels as if someone thought the issue would be too slow without this action sequence.
And a few too many panels/pages are devoted to the final fate of the black hole. The art on these pages is awesome, but it doesn’t do anything with the characters.
Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios
As a consequence, Dark Empty Void #5 doesn’t have the same emotional weight as the rest of the series.
Although issue #1 presents the black hole as a symbol for Joy’s depression – that symbolism changes throughout the series, as it turns out to really be about Joy’s fear of motherhood. Yes, that fear is what led to the problems in her marriage with Colsen. And the failed state of her marriage was the main reason for her being depressed. But, the fear of motherhood and the grief of a failing relationship is not the same as depression. As such, neither theme is handled as well as it needed to be emotionally.
And although Art represents the daughter Joy never had – and accordingly, Joy’s relationship to Art represents her getting over her fear of motherhood – the relationship doesn’t really grow in this issue. Art barely speaks and the two never feels as close as they should.
Also, this issue doesn’t provide enough strong emotional moments between Joy and Colsen – or rather, none that didn’t already happen in previous issues. As I mentioned before, at this point in the story they had already basically reconciled. Accordingly, there wasn’t anything new to develop in their relationship in this final issue. They mostly just finish up the plot involving the black hole together.
Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios
Unfortunately, Dark Empty Void #5 is a weak finale to a very interesting series. Although the artwork stays strong, almost all of the most important character work was already finished by the end of the previous issue. Accordingly, this issue feels like a rehash of what we already experienced, but with less emotional impact. I generally like what Kaplan and Shehan want to tell us in Dark Empty Void; but they already did it better in issue #4.
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