Well friends, it is over. Wild’s End has come to a close and I am one fan that will miss the adventure these animals took us on. It is really weird that when I first opened this mini-series I was taken back by the old school setting. It just didn’t seem like my style. Plus with everything going so futuristic, it was weird to have an alien story based in the past. Then the characters were all animals and it seemed a little too Frog and Toad for me. But after getting over the weird feeling from page one, I turned to page two and the story came alive. It was no longer an outdated comic, it was a cool group fighting for their lives against an alien invasion in a small town. Clive and his team have been in a rough situation for last couple of issues. This issue is no exception. Things have finally come to a head when one of those alien robots chases the gang through some back roads. This guy has caused a lot of death in and is ready to do what he has to. Although we still don’t know his goal. Clive has a plan though. I thought the plan would be a little more elaborate just in the way Clive is talking about it. And also in the resilience the alien has. I didn’t need fireworks, but with so much tension built up, I am wondering why Clive didn’t think of this earlier.
In other ways, Dan Abnett shined with his writing. The whole characterization of Wild’s End is brilliant. Each animal, much like their perceived character in the animal kingdom, has a unique personality. They work well together and all have strengths that accompany the mission at hand. I missed Susan and Clive’s dry humor and was surprised to see it had made its way back in the final issue. Fawkes is hilarious too, and again gave us some jokes while fighting off the alien. I liked this a lot. And thought the last issue missed some of those banter moments between characters with all the action. It shows a lot about these guys.
On top of it all, I.N.J. Culbard draws us the perfect characters to match these personalities. I like the simple style that Culbard has with the town and just everything. It isn’t complex and does give off that simple ol’ time feel. I enjoy reading every issue and seeing what he has to give us. The alien robot could get complicated but with the simple technique, it comes across as a real event.
I think Wild’s End came together perfectly. With the ending left open though, I really hope this comic can back for more. The aliens intentions are never revealed, so the more stories could come out of it. It has all the right elements to make it a good read. I feel like the comic ended at an awkward time so if the comic came back, I think Abnett and Culbard could do something even better with a longer time line. For now though, I will enjoy what we have.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Dan Abnett Artist: I.N.J. Culbard Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: 3.99 Release Date: 2/11/2015 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital