Eternity Girl #6 – Magdalene Visaggio, Writer; Sonny Liew, Artist; Chris Chuckry, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: One of the most oddball Young Animal titles yet and somehow also the most human, Eternity Girl #6 brings Mags Visaggio and Sonny Liew’s cosmic story of depression and identity to a satisfying close. When we last left off, Caroline Sharp had finally been pushed too far. Threatened with annihilation by her former allies and her fragile mental state unraveling, she unleashed the full extent of her powers and began dissolving all of existence piece by piece. The only people with the knowledge and ability to potentially stop her? Lord of Order Crash, and her best friend Dani. Although Dani’s been a relatively minor character alongside the cosmic drama playing out, her background as a trans woman (like the author) has been key to the series’ discussion of identity, and the opening segment set six months ago nicely sets the tone for Dani’s role in bringing the threat to a close. Sonny Liew’s art, a standout since he made his debut on Doctor Fate in 2014, is equally strong in quiet and cosmic segments.
The one element of this series I’m not sure ever quite worked was the main villain, Madame Atom, whose status as real or a part of Caroline’s mind remains in flux. Thankfully, she has a relatively small role in this issue as Dani takes the lead. The scenes as she travels into the area affected by Caroline’s powers and enters the multiverse are sensational – nine panel grids? What’s that? Try thirty-five panels spanning seven worlds! Visaggio manages to pack the script with a lot of little details that really take us inside Caroline’s head as we try to process the transformation she’s been through, and like Shade the Changing Woman before it, the ending is somewhat ambiguous. This was definitely always intended to be a six-issue miniseries, though, so it feels like the ambiguity is planned and in some way essential to the story being told. Caroline’s story isn’t done – she’s finally ready to let go of who she was and embrace who she’s becoming, and her role in the larger DC multiverse is just beginning. This is a fascinating, experimental, and deeply personal comic and I’m glad DC took the swing on publishing it.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
