Last year I struggled to find a BOOM! title to enjoy. I’ve actually been reading and following their properties since their debut and so it was sucky to find myself not enjoying their product anymore. But if there’s one thing about comic books, it’s that you should never write anyone off. So I stuck with them and kept trying out their new titles. Now I feel like they make up about half of my top ten list. This week alone two of my absolute favorite titles released and if that doesn’t just make the entire week better, than I don’t know what does. This month’s issue of Hexed marks the conclusion of the first story arc and it’s subtle and brilliant. The opening wraps up some happenings of the last issue as Cymbaline’s headquarters are invaded by her brother as almost an open challenge, which clues her into the fact that Lucifer isn’t dead. Speaking of which we find her and the intern (maybe I should learn her name… no, it’s intern) coming out of the Harlot’s realm. They have a funny moment and we’re left with the mystery of what deal was struck between the intern and the Harlot.
Back at the art gallery the ladies show up and Val acts like no biggie. The intern is confused by this, but continues on with the work she was given. After she leaves, Val goes off on Lucifer having killed herself. She also reveals that Cymbaline is going to be at the gallery which means her brother will also be there and Lucifer’s punishment is to wear a dress. Lucifer looks awesome in a dress by the way.
What’s particularly rewarding about this issue is that writer/creator Michael Alan Nelson delivers a rewarding conclusion, but wastes no time treading the needle of the next plotline. It had a very TV feel to it in which the season finale has fired on all cylinders and then just when you think it’s over you get that tiny bit more that makes you want to come back even more.
Obviously Lucifer is the main character, but Val and the intern are wonderful characters that manage to steal scenes often. The intern in particular plays a great “straight man’ to Lucifer, but Val… she’s just one bad ass lady. What Nelson has going for him with this story is the lack of a love interest. Here are three women that never once fall over themselves to talk about men or any of that shit. They’re just doing their thing and even crazier there are two other strong female characters in Cymbaline and the Harlot. Why is that a big deal? Name me one other comic book on the market like Hexed in terms of its lead cast’s gender… sadly you can’t.
As I’ve said from the first issue Dan Mora for life! Dan Mora or Die! If they kill Dan Mora we riot! You get the point. He doesn’t just draw beautiful women (and men for that matter), he creates worlds. Without spoiling the story there is a part in which paintings are once again jumped into and the different styles that Mora illustrates while still keeping the integrity of the characters is just fantastic. He really creates works of art for the reader to gaze at. So much so that I didn’t pay attention to one of the caption boxes at first. Mora is a huge reason why I like this series.
As much as I liked this issue I’m looking forward to the next one more. I don’t know if all the story lines will be four issues, but it’s clear that Nelson is playing for the long con and that each issue and arc will feed into the overall story that’s running throughout the series. Now if you haven’t jumped on yet then pick up the trade when it hits or just track down the back issues because this series is so damn good.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Michael Alan Nelson Artist: Dan Mora Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/12/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital