OF THE EARTH #6 (IMAGE COMICS)

Of the Earth comes to an end in this thrilling, depressing last issue, as Tabby has her final confrontation with The Wildcatter.

Let’s talk the finale of Of the Earth #6 by Chris Condon, Andrew Ehrich, Charlie Adlard, Pip Martin, & Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (IMAGE COMICS)

Of the Earth #6 by Chris Condon, Andrew Ehrich, Charlie Adlard, Pip Martin, & Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (IMAGE COMICS)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

Tabitha Black has lost everything. Now, all she can do is run.

Too bad she doesn’t even make it off the farm before the Wildcatter sprays out of her car in all its goopy glory.

Round two begins.

Charlie Adlard has perfected the fight for survival if his bona fides on The Walking Dead are any indication. Wide-eyed desperation is all over Tabby’s face, and her fight with the Wildcatter is a nail-biter. His design for the Wildcatter is a drippy, spiky blob of crude oil, shaped like a humanoid dinosaur. It’s fucking terrifying.

Pip Martin washes this fight in muted reds, pinks, and oranges, like Tabby is fighting her way out of Hell. I guess she is, all things considered.

After finding its weakness and exploiting it, Tabby is thrown like a ragdoll by the explosion and passes out. When she comes to, she finds herself in a worse Hell: a sterile hospital room full of coats emblazoned with the Fossil Oil Company logo.

There are multiple samples of the Wildcatter in vials, revealing their involvement in its creation. The issue ends on a depressing, true-to-life note, as Tabby is gaslit into thinking everything that happened to her was a lie.

MORE FROM MARCUS!

Chris Condon and Andrew Ehrich are not beating around the bush about the Wildcatter, as it’s an obvious metaphor for the environmental damage here in the US. That our governments must shoulder the blame for our reckless drilling and perpetual “defilement of the earth.”

But is the on us solely on them?

I’m a huge fan of the worldbuilding details Condon fills in the back matter of his stories. They remind of the lore items you can pick up in different video games that fleshes out the world you’re playing in. Here, via excerpts from a fictional book about people’s encounters with the creature, there’s room for a sequel.

Let’s just hope the Fossil Oil Company doesn’t get to that author before he can drop his second volume.

FINAL GRADE: 8.6

A quick, entertaining read with flashes of heart-stopping horror, and a strong protagonist that I wish was explored more. Condon and Ehrich picked the right artist for this story, and I hope to see more of this in the future. The door is wide open.

Let me know your thoughts on OF THE EARTH #6 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!