David Akers Comic Reviews

In this final issue, Palmiotti and Gray avoid the usual path by not “resetting” his character. Hex suffers no gunshot through the cheek, no pickaxe to the face, nothing to undo the plastic surgery he had received while in our present. It's just a simple find ‘em and kill ‘em story like we've come to love. In fact, some might think it's too quiet, but I found it a fitting send off. In fact, if I have a minor complaint, it's the use of Darwyn Cooke. Don't get me wrong, his art is beautiful, but it would have been nice to use one of the regular artists, someone who could have drawn Tallulah's scars in their normally obvious, even distracting, form. As drawn by Cooke they are barely noticeable, but that's a minor quibble in an otherwise perfect ending to a wonderful series.

This book and the rest of the series are highly recommended. While it's not the Hellblazer of old, this Constantine is cut from the same cloth and he's well able to handle surviving in a world of superheroes. Don't let any preconceptions cause you to miss out on this re-imagining of an original Vertigo great, do yourself a favor and give the series a try.

Told in what are essentially splash pages, each panel reminded me of tapestries, telling the epic saga of the princess' travels. There is so much style here, including the fabulous way the text was used to both tell the story and become an element of the art. The entire package came together to create a unique storytelling experience. The style carried me through the tale and at the end I wanted to read it again. I think Jim Henson would be proud.

The humor here feels a bit more juvenile and forced than it was in the early cartoons, but that's perhaps affected by the lens of time. The story took a few liberties as far as how the Scooby Gang defeated the bad guys, with Velma using some reverse logic that would never work, and Scooby and Shaggy gaining a superpower they should never have gotten, for a silly, unrealistic reason, but hey: Kid's Comic. Ultimately, I did have fun, and that's really all that matters. If you ever liked the Scooby-Doo cartoons, give the book a try!

Gail Simone tells a good, solid story, but ultimately it's a throwaway that doesn't matter in current DC continuity. It's set in a universe that no longer exists, and features none of the standard themes that we associate with Wonder Woman. And maybe that was the point. It's a good alternative for people who are not into the New 52 take on Wonder Woman. Perhaps it is a "best of both worlds", providing an alternate way for fans not into the New 52 Wonder Woman to read her adventures, but it does not seem to be a good way to lead fans to her ongoing series, if that was even the intent. It's good to see more of the best-known and most visible female character in DC's lineup, but I question if this is the best way to celebrate her.

But for me, the biggest problem with the book is that, like most of the Futures End books, you don't know for sure where it fits into the bigger picture. Readers of the event know that Power Girl ends up battling Deathstroke in the main Futures End book, so this must come before that, except that during the battle with Deathstroke she's wearing the costume she destroyed in this issue. Maybe not a big deal to some readers, but for me these little inconsistencies really ruin the overall experience. DC tries really hard with these yearly “September” events but I'm not sure how well they succeed in doing more than interrupting the flow of their regular titles for one month out of every year.