Ned Ennion Comic Reviews

As a solo issue this is a very strong chapter in the Underworld story arc, beginning the process of tying all the various factions and plot threads together in the lead up to the penultimate and final chapters of the arc, The art style is visually enjoyable to read and the writing manages to make character dialogue feel natural. Main criticisms only really fall on the Underworld story arc as a whole.

As the finale to Underworld this book nearly perfectly sets up the arcs that a soon to follow. It brings the Undercurrent rebellion to fruition, introduces King Shark as a new player and lays the foundations for Corum Raths tyrannical regime to fall. While this issue feels shorter than previous issues it concludes enough of the plot threads from the arc to satisfy a reader and leaves anticipation for what is hopefully going to be a killer arc.

Sabretooth's characterization, the bar fight art and Danny Rand/ Victor Creed dynamic, really shine in this issue. Given the overall plot that is developing, I really hope that Sabretooth plays a bigger role similar to how the Immortal Weapons appeared throughout the 2007 run.

The main issue this faces is it's pacing. It just moves towards the penultimate chapters of the story arc too quickly which s a shame because the writing is really strong. Luke gets some really great characterization and Ringmaster is probably one of the most surprisingly scary villains this year, but specifically Luke's interactions in the prison, which definitely should be more of a focus, especially in this issue. However, the decision to move towards the conclusion of this arc means that we miss out on more of some of the strongest content in this issue.

A few stand out moments in this issue. Once again Ringmaster is a surprisingly good villain and the issue reveals much of his overall scheme more than anything else. Theres less of a focus on Cage but I think overall while the book is good theres definitely something missing that would make it a great issue.

Overall a solid conclusion to the Behind Bars arc. I feel a little underwhelmed at how they handled Ringmasters defeat but the action sequences were done superbly and had a really nice flow to them. Its been great following Luke on his journey home and the following issues are surely not going to disappoint.