'The fall of the curtain' marks the end of this current arc. Picking up from last time, Mr. Cruz has made his way to London to track down and kill Lara and Ramile. Lara meanwhile is blowing chunks from the stress of her looming performance (even the return of my favorite Jaffa Cakes don't make her feel better).
She puts on a brave face after a pep talk from Sam. Then goes full Lara when she gets a phone call from Mr. Cruz who has now abducted Kaz (she seemed tough when we first saw her, now she's just hapless kidnap bait).
This comic manages to throw things into every issue that make me smile and/or surprise me. This one left me feeling really gutted at the end (some people die and one of them I feel was a bit of a shame, let me know in the comments if you miss that person or are glad they're gone), though getting run over by a train is pretty funny.
The artwork is the same high-level we've come to expect from this series. There are a lot of cool London landmarks in this issue that are really nicely illustrated. The final battle between Lara and Cruz takes place in the tunnels of the London Underground. Which Lara enters through the Piccadilly Circus entrance (which looks just like I remember it including the gate guard in his fluorescent uniform). Cruz is drawn as the monster he is inside and out, especially out, after his helicopter crash and dose of radiation. every panel with his toothless maw makes me cringe a little.
This was a good end to a fun arc. Lara is evolving into the bad-ass we know she can be. Hopefully the next arc will see her being more proactive instead of reactive. Also it would be nice to show her using her brain rather than just her fists (or feet). It makes sense for her to try to go back to a normal life after the island, but she's got to be realizing she can't now, right?
Score: 3/5
Writer: Rhianna Pratchett, Gail Simone Artist: Nicolás Daniel Selma Inker: Juan Gedeon Colorist: Michael Atiyeh Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 1/21/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital