Cave Carson Has An Interstellar Eye #6 – Jon Rivera, Writer; Michael Avon Oeming, Artist; Nick Filardi, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: All four Young Animal titles are coming to a close this month, and I think Cave Carson’s title is the most effective finale of the four. Tying together stories of family conflict, past failures, middle aged angst, and a cosmic battle to save a space jellyfish who is also a prince and is also a planet, it’s exactly the kind of wild and unpredictable title this line was created for. Last issue ended with Cave, Chloe, Star Adam, and Bartow being captured by bounty hunter Bulldozer, who Cave was forced to leave to die years ago. He didn’t quite die, and he’s less than happy to see Cave again. He drags them to the office of the planet’s king, who needs them to save his aforementioned son. While Cave is more than willing to help, Bulldozer is denied his bounty and stalks off to drown his sorrow. The ensuing conversation between Chloe and Bulldozer about her dad’s flaws and his ultimate decency is one of the issue’s strong points.
The latter half of the issue is the title embracing its cosmic nature, as Cave heads into a sentient cloud to get a sample of the meteor that’s making it sick, and Star Adam uses his cosmic song to power his way. Bulldozer, who started the issue as a bitter enemy, winds up being an invaluable ally and saves Cave from a terrible fate. Then things take a dark turn, as the mission goes south, and Cave makes the decision to sacrifice himself to save his daughter. Although he’s ready to call it a life having accomplished what he wanted to, Star Adam has other plans, and the two have a fascinating conversation in limbo. This ends with the title eye coming into play in a fascinating way and giving Cave a second chance. The last few pages of the issue are a great, absurd turn and leave the door open for more adventures. If we don’t get them, though, this is a perfectly satisfying final chapter in the story of Cave and Chloe Carson.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
