Bliss #7 Review
Writer: Sean Lewis
Artist: Caitlin Yarsky
Colours: Ari Pluchinsky
The penultimate issue. The final confrontation with Lethe. And in a series full of emotional twists and turns this isn’t a straightforward battle of good vs evil. For a while now we’ve known that Lethe had been manipulated, her memories stolen, but this issue reveals she has been as much a victim as anyone else in the course of the story. The concept of Bliss has been a real highlight of the series. Exploring the importance of memories has been interesting throughout, and this issue puts a real highlight on the vulnerability of not having memories. Without memories what's left?
Over the course of the series we’ve seen that Sean Lewis isn’t afraid to kill main characters off. As the series is only 8 issues long it allows him a certain freedom with the cast and with this the penultimate issue it truly feels like none of the characters are safe as the issue progresses. All the while the mysterious Wren is lurking in the background, waiting to mete out punishment to Benton for his crimes. It’s an added layer of tension in an already tense issue, as if our heroes don’t have enough to contend with fighting ancient Gods.
One of the real strengths of the comic is how it’s explored this complicated relationship between father and son, the extremes that love will cause someone to go to, and it’s resonated powerfully for that. Over the course of the series though the emphasis has switched from Benton doing anything for Perry, to Perry being the one going to any lengths to save his father. It shows that relationship works two ways. And there has been real character growth in both leads. Benton has gone from doing the unthinkable to save his son to searching for redemption for his many crimes. Whereas we’ve watched Perry growing from an innocent child to the young man prepared to fight a God for his father. It’s been an incredible journey and incredibly rewarding to readers.
Caitlin Yarsky’s art continues to astound. Over the course of the series she’s managed to blend the more everyday scenes with the rich mythology that Lewis has created of Gods and monsters, a river literally filled with memories, and each page, every panel, has been fantastic. This issue leans into the mythical more than previous issues have due to Lethe’s heavy involvement, and Yarsky makes this look incredible. As Perry notes early in the issue, “it’s so pretty.”. Lethe looks like a Goddess, which is an achievement in itself. Other comics might fall into the trap of making their Gods/Goddesses look human but with great powers. Yarsky makes her Goddess feel truly powerful and alien. Ari Pluchinsky does a great job with the colours as well, the final touch in making Yarsky’s art leap of the page and looks absolutely gorgeous.
With only the final issue to go there hasn’t been a bad issue in the entire run, this series belongs on ‘best of’ lists, the story is epic with a rich mythology, yet the focus is on the characters and their relationship to one another. The story built around memories and Gods is just a vessel to explore the relationship between a father and a son, and works fantastically. The story, the characters, the worldbuilding, the art, every aspect of this comic is fantastic and cannot be recommended enough. One of the most original and thought provoking comics in a long time.
Artist: Caitlin Yarsky
Colours: Ari Pluchinsky
The penultimate issue. The final confrontation with Lethe. And in a series full of emotional twists and turns this isn’t a straightforward battle of good vs evil. For a while now we’ve known that Lethe had been manipulated, her memories stolen, but this issue reveals she has been as much a victim as anyone else in the course of the story. The concept of Bliss has been a real highlight of the series. Exploring the importance of memories has been interesting throughout, and this issue puts a real highlight on the vulnerability of not having memories. Without memories what's left?
Over the course of the series we’ve seen that Sean Lewis isn’t afraid to kill main characters off. As the series is only 8 issues long it allows him a certain freedom with the cast and with this the penultimate issue it truly feels like none of the characters are safe as the issue progresses. All the while the mysterious Wren is lurking in the background, waiting to mete out punishment to Benton for his crimes. It’s an added layer of tension in an already tense issue, as if our heroes don’t have enough to contend with fighting ancient Gods.
One of the real strengths of the comic is how it’s explored this complicated relationship between father and son, the extremes that love will cause someone to go to, and it’s resonated powerfully for that. Over the course of the series though the emphasis has switched from Benton doing anything for Perry, to Perry being the one going to any lengths to save his father. It shows that relationship works two ways. And there has been real character growth in both leads. Benton has gone from doing the unthinkable to save his son to searching for redemption for his many crimes. Whereas we’ve watched Perry growing from an innocent child to the young man prepared to fight a God for his father. It’s been an incredible journey and incredibly rewarding to readers.
Caitlin Yarsky’s art continues to astound. Over the course of the series she’s managed to blend the more everyday scenes with the rich mythology that Lewis has created of Gods and monsters, a river literally filled with memories, and each page, every panel, has been fantastic. This issue leans into the mythical more than previous issues have due to Lethe’s heavy involvement, and Yarsky makes this look incredible. As Perry notes early in the issue, “it’s so pretty.”. Lethe looks like a Goddess, which is an achievement in itself. Other comics might fall into the trap of making their Gods/Goddesses look human but with great powers. Yarsky makes her Goddess feel truly powerful and alien. Ari Pluchinsky does a great job with the colours as well, the final touch in making Yarsky’s art leap of the page and looks absolutely gorgeous.
With only the final issue to go there hasn’t been a bad issue in the entire run, this series belongs on ‘best of’ lists, the story is epic with a rich mythology, yet the focus is on the characters and their relationship to one another. The story built around memories and Gods is just a vessel to explore the relationship between a father and a son, and works fantastically. The story, the characters, the worldbuilding, the art, every aspect of this comic is fantastic and cannot be recommended enough. One of the most original and thought provoking comics in a long time.
A Look Inside
