By Ben Snyder

Descender has come a very far ways from where it started. At first, the series was quiet, beautiful, almost meditative on the existence of A.I and the repercussions of its abuse. For a while, I thought that’s how the story would stay, but as the story unfolded it was clear that Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen were telling a sprawling and expansive space epic something on a massive scale. While it hasn’t hit the highs its creators have set out for it; Descender has been a success for most of its issue. Descender #31 is no exception, providing a bombastic and explosive entry before the series finale. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough.

By Ben Snyder

Often times Descender has felt plodding and been too wrapped up in it’s own convoluted mythos for it’s own good. But Descender #29 is a desperately needed change of pace. As Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen begin ramping up to this heavily anticipated endgame, the script and plot both begin to feel much faster and carry a greater sense of urgency. This is also one of the first issues of Descender where I didn’t feel as lost or bored at certain points as I felt in prior issues. It is fitting that with only a couple of issues left, Descender is pumping out some of the best issues since it’s beginning.

By Ben Snyder

Descender #28 succeeds for many reasons that the previous issue failed. It feels relevant to the overall story, it’s story is interesting if a bit tedious in the beginning, we finally learn what exactly a “Descender” is, and it features Dustin Nguyen’s stellar art. Descender #28 still isn’t a perfect issue as many of the pitfalls of the story are still present, but it is still a marked improvement over the previous entries.

By Ben Snyder

In Descender #25, Jeff Lemire delivers a satisfying penultimate issue to the Rise of The Robots arc. While the arc has been good so far, delivering shocking character developments and an entry into the Driller Saga, in issue #25 Lemire seems to finally begin setting up an arc that feels like it’s been in the makings for a while now- Tim-21 acknowledging his Jedi/chosen one powers.

By Ben Snyder

In Descender #24, we catch up with a seemingly forgotten friend in Driller. It’s a true shame that issues like this don’t come more often, because in these quieter, smaller character driven issues Jeff Lemire’s skills as a writer prevail, shedding light and humanity on what could be a simplistic robotic character.