IDW Publishing 2016
Created, Written & Illustrated by D.J. Kirkbride & Vassilis Gogtzilas
Lettered by Frank Cvetkovic
THE BIGGEST BANG rages on as Cosmos is tries to dissuade the misguided Cosmic Church of the Half-God from worshipping him! There is definitely more going on than meets Janishire Sneck's giant eye. And who, or WHAT are The Penumbra...? Meanwhile, Wyan continues to explore the possibilities of her amazing new powers, becoming a hero in her own right!
The writing for this issue is amazing. Cosmos confronted by Mister Sneck and not fully understanding the meaning of his words well it’s good characterization. There’s a lot that’s happened with Cosmos’ birth in this universe and he’s caused a lot of things both good and bad to happen. So when Sneck comes and talks about a church dedicated to him well he misunderstands the intent so completely it really does demonstrate that he’s a man and no god regardless of what it is he can do.
I am thoroughly enthralled by the story here and how it resonates with so much we see of people in real life who claim to have power, or desire power and how they see themselves. I like the way Cosmos sees himself, not as a god or half-god but as a man who makes mistakes and is learning as he goes. Finding himself and his destiny along the way, free will to make his own choices right or wrong, regardless of what others have in store for him. This is strong, powerful writing and characterization folks and it’s so refreshing to see this take from someone like this.
I do wonder however if by giving Wyan power if he hasn’t sealed his own fate and made himself more vulnerable to attack and expiring. As if he was born to pass the power along and die as a result, or does he need to reclaim it and leave Wyan to die? There’s some really interesting stuff going on with their powers here and I cannot wait to see how they play out as the story continues.
Wyan meanwhile is lost in thoughts about her past and her desire to make amends even if it’s just in her eyes. Redemption is an all too familiar theme but it’s how the writer has the character go about it that makes it interesting. So far she’s very much enamored with these new powers and the desire to do good. Eager and willing to explore new boundaries and make decisions as we see here. Could she be the opposite coin of Cosmos’? They seem to have very different and complementary personalities but with everything we see here what does that mean for the two of them?
I”m living for the interior artwork here. There’s such a unique style going on and the attention to detail is amazing. The creativity in bringing these alien species to life is impressive and the way the story flows through pages and panels is utterly fantastic. There’s charm, wit and personality in the work that is belied at first glance as the book goes on you see more and more so the appreciation level increases accordingly.
With a strong story premise, great characterization and artwork that will literally take you to the stars this is a story that shouldn’t be missed!