The Good

This series has been, overall, an amazing ride. I love the distinct characters we get in this story and I have been so enjoying the way Azzarello has created this interesting dynamic between them. We've grown up with these characters from the very first issue, which has been fun, and it's nice to see them all come together here in this story. Each of them have very different goals and motives, but they all have grown together, and while it's been a gradual process, it's also been a very logical one and something that has been interesting to follow. This issue was a great way to end the story arc, but it's obvious that there are a lot of characters here that we have not seen the last of.

Like I mentioned above, the dynamic between the characters in this series is what makes it such an interesting read, particularly the interactions between Orion and Diana in this issue. We get a reason for certain actions that we saw exhibited by Orion in the last issue which I personally found to be cleverly explained, and I enjoyed the use of satire in this story at the character's expense.

The art by Cliff Chiang is, once again, absolutely stunning. His pencils are perfectly complimentary to the story we see here in this issue. There were also some pages illustrated by artist Goran Sudzuka which I found to be very well done, and although we have two separate artists, the colors really brought the entire issue together. This is an incredibly easy read because the story just really flows well and keeps you entertained the whole way through.

Azzarello manages to tie up any loose ends rather nicely, closing up the current story arc. What I like, however, is that the creator is clearly setting up the next arc for readers so that when we finally see it, it won't be such a jarring reading experience. The result is a well written story that has been a lot of fun to read.

The Bad

Nothing bad here. The script is well organized, the art beautiful, and the characterizations are a ton of fun.

The Verdict

The issue is great not only because it closes the chapter in the current arc in a way that is interesting, but also in a way that is really easy to follow and clear for readers to understand. I think it's fantastic that Azzarello has been simultaneously building this "First Born" story over the course of the last several issues, setting up the next story arc while closing up this last one. The art is, once again, really well executed and even though we have two different artists on this issue, the result is is still very fluid and easy to read. I am definitely looking forward to the next arc as well as the dynamics between the characters moving forward. The next issue may very well be a good place to start the series.