[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Justin Jordan
Artists: Ibrahim Moustafa, Jordan Boyd
Summary
With all the action readers have been conditioned to expect, Savage Things #8 ends the series with many literal bangs. After the events of the previous issue, Cain tracks Dr. Koenig to his secluded safe-house and proceeds to murder everyone. Abel and Kira arrive in the nick of time for the most violent action sequence of the series, but what follows is sadly predictable.
Positives
As with every issue of the series, far and away the best part is the action. This issue is a wild ride from start to finish. Even pages with Dr. Koenig hiding in a panic room are wrought with violence due to flashbacks.
This is probably the tensest story in the series. It’s a bit of a change in tone compared to the other issues but it works well and is one of the issue’s strongest features. Developing the series into a Die Hard style action movie only for the final issue to switch it into a Cape Fear style thriller was a fantastic choice. Readers have come to expect something with Savage Things, and by subverting these expectations it leaves the readers as vulnerable as Dr. Koenig.
With this said, after the tension is built enough, the action that takes over is everything readers have come to love. Yet again every punch and kick feels painful. Being the final issue it’s every bit as over the top as you would expect with knives, bullets and grenades flying in every direction.
This issue really emphasizes Ibrahim Moustafa’s artwork. Jordan gives him all sorts of poses to play with and he knocks it out of the park with all of them. There’s a real classical nature to his art style. It’s reminiscent of Jack Kirby, which is fitting considering the amount of punching, there’s just a lot more violence here.
Negatives
While the issue does a lot of great things, it’s not perfect. Unfortunately the ending feels underwhelming. With eight issues, Jordan and Moustafa have been building to this moment and yet everything that happens is incredibly predictable. I won’t spoil anything outright, but there’s nothing in this issue that readers of the previous issue couldn’t anticipate. It’s a shame because the series has been so good. It’s like a fireworks display ending with a sparkler.
What makes matters worse is the way the story treats the plot revelations. There’s a specific page that has a ‘twist’ that was pretty much alluded to last month. It’s these kinds of things that leave readers scratching their heads. Savage Things always handled action better than plot and this conclusion really shines a torch on it.
Verdict
Despite some plotting disappointments, the issue still delivers in its action and tension. There’s a lot of entertainment value here. Some readers might be unsatisfied with the conclusion but everyone will be satisfied with the heart pounding action. It’s a case where the positives outweigh the negatives.
