THE POWER FANTASY #16 (IMAGE COMICS)
No one person should have so much power.
Six do and it’s led to nothing safe. Ray Harris aka Heavy killed Etienne Lux after others failed. Jacky Magus and Eliza Hellbound tried and failed. Before dying, Lux planted “destiny” images of Hell in Eliza’s head. Jackie thought there was a way to solve this problem. It’s too bad someone else had other plans.
THE POWER FANTASY #16 by Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, and Clayton Cowles delivers on a devastating fallout of recent events before heading on hiatus.
Let’s take a deeper dive into where this issue leads.
THE POWER FANTASY #16 by Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, and Clayton Cowles(IMAGE Comics)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Gillen shows the repercussions of Heavy’s attack on Eliza. Readers watch as Valentina’s words put a final nail in a coffin of drama. To say “cataclysmic” might be an understatement concerning results. Dr. Eldritch narrating the scenes adds to the devastation unleashed. It is one that is unforgiving in its’ bluntness. The argument of power and responsibility lingers in the background. In one specific example, the price of eliminating Eliza might have been too great to accept.
This weight is thrown back at Valentina. The writing shows her difficulty in accepting what has happened. All the while, what is happening on Earth might be the event that cripples the over-confidence. In turn, Gillen gives readers another possibility to navigate through. An action takes place which changes everything once again. The writing shows how events have pushed one character into the risk taken. It looks to calm some struggles while opening a proverbial Pandora’s box. What is left is an ending that will have many readers talking until the next issue returns (whenever that may be).
READ LAST ISSUE’S REVIEW HERE!
Wijngaard’s art becomes the star of this issue. The final moments with Eliza and Valentina show the difficult task and fallout involved. It puts Valentina into a new light knowing what she has done. The talk show with Dr. Eldritch dances readers around the Armageddon that now presides on Earth. Seeing the casualties come into focus add more sorrow into what has just happened. None might be greater than one with a broken heart. The three panel page hits all the emotional buttons before bowing out.
This gives way to some wordless pages. The art absolutely explodes off the pages in this sequence. Wijngaard crushes this scenario while moving into the next phase of story. A full shot of Valentina watching this unfold launches into a deep introspective. This spins into one of the more dangerous plays in the series. Readers watch as one’s choice splinters into a fabric of time. An amazing two page splash sets forth the immediate gamble being played. The result is one that readers will have many questions about. The good times left via full closing page feel temporary as the story enters into its’ next phase.
FINAL GRADE: 9.6
The endgame from Eliza’s elimination spirals into chaos as another tries fixing the wound. Gillen’s writing is incredible in unlocking the heartfelt goodbyes. Wijngaard raises the bar even higher with every page. From its’ concept to presentation, this series checks all the boxes of what you want from your comics. It’s farewell for now but not forever pertaining to what’s been built here.
Let me know your thoughts about THE POWER FANTASY #16 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
