The End League #8 (Dark Horse – Remender / Canete / Wilson)
Black, Soldier American, and Arachnakid, the last remaining heroes on earth, are trapped between the armies of three villainous masterminds and their war for control of the planet. With the hammer of Thor finally within their grasp, one hero will obtain it, one will be proven unworthy, and another will turn against the team! Fan favorites Rick Remender and Eric Canete bring you the earth-shattering finale to the second arc, where everything is flipped upside down, giving birth to a new status quo for our small band of surviving heroes!
The long winded saga known as The End League is finally coming to a close. And When I say long winded, I am not just being mean… issue #1 came out January of ’08. This series ended up being quarterly. It’s too bad because there was ton of potential, but a lot of fanboys got lost in the time frame.
Everyone I know who was trying to keep up with The League had to continually re-read previous issues just to remember what was going on. It really is too bad because Rick Remender is quite the writer. If you haven’t been checking out Fear Agent, you really should.
Now, all lateness aside, The End League will be a phenomenal trade. To sit down and absorb it all at once without months and months of waiting (sorry, I know I was supposed to put that aside). All of the subplots – Norse Gods, Greek Gods, Nazis, vIllain arch-types, superhero clones – start to spiral in on each other in a very legitimate and believable way. This once again is tribute to the writing of Remender.
With an in depth, well thought out story like this it would be easy to blow past the exception art team of Eric Canete and Matthew Wilson. The heavy-lined filled pages not only can capture the action and emphasize the motion of the scene, but it is also able to focus in on the emotions of these characetrs, making them much more palatable to the reader.
Without a doubt a great series, but nearly impossible to jump in now.
issue grade: B
