Ascender #18
The battle for the soul of the galaxy ends in Ascender #18, by writer Jeff Lemire, artist Dustin Nguyen, and letterer Steve Wands. This issue is the last one of the Descender/Ascender saga, and it's a doozy, a fitting ending to a wonderful story.
It all comes to a head this issue, as Driller saves Tim-21, Mother kills her sister and takes her power back, and Tim finds the person who can defeat her. Honestly, that's pretty much all that needs to be said about the issue's plot because it works very well, and fans of this one shouldn't be spoiled.
Lemire has been building this story for years, and there's a lot riding on this ending. Endings can be a difficult thing, but Lemire nails it. This is an epic comic, and every panel builds into that. In fact, Lemire keeps the panels to a minimum per page, so each page feels bigger than life. It all builds into the epic feel of the whole thing.
The most clever part of the whole thing is how Lemire ends it. Mother wants the power from the Source of Magic that Tim has inside of him, but it's not for her- it's for one between. One who is both machine and flesh, a balance of the two. Descender/Ascender has often been about how flesh and machine can't coexist, but Tim-21 has always been about defying that. This issue takes that to the next level as the only person who can defeat Mother is someone who is both flesh and machine. It's a great bait and switch because readers might have thought the story was going to go one way, but it takes a nice swerve, one that plays into the thing that has informed Tim-21's entire life. Elsewhere in the book, Lemire is able to use a character that seemed kind of superfluous to the whole book and finds a good use for them. As usual, Lemire perfectly hits the right emotional notes throughout the story, which helps shore up any of the comic's little blemishes.
Nguyen's art does a fantastic job of really setting up the epic feel that Lemire is going for in this one. His watercolors do such a fantastic job throughout this issue. The coloring of every panel is intense, and Nguyen's character work is superb as usual. His art throughout both series has been top-notch, and this issue is no exception. It's one of those situations where the art needs to be seen to be believed.
Ascender #18 closes out Lemire and Nguyen's saga in a wonderful manner. They wrap things up in a neat little bow. This isn't a perfect comic, but it's a perfect ending for this book. The script and art are top-notch, and this is a beautiful ending for fans who have been following this story for years.
