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This is it, Stan and his allies against the end of the world as we know it! But wait! You may be surprised at how this all goes down. The Writer reveals his true feelings and designs as a cataclysmic story unfolds that will leave comic book fans and historians alike hopeful for the future of the medium.
- Written & Created by Josh Gad & Berkowitz Bros.
- Art and Colors by Ariel Olivetti
- Letters by Frank Cvetkovic
- Editor Megan Walker
- Assistant Editor Tara McCarron
- Designer Riley VanDyke
- Digital Art Technician Mars Ralston
- Published by Dark Horse Comics
The Writer Pens The Conclusion!
It all comes down to this! Every moving piece left on the Chess board will collide on the grounds of Fenway Park! Stan, his dying mother, his daughter Izzy, King Solomon, and even his father and his team of “Budget Hebrew X-Men” are fighting against the forces of evil, hell-bent on joining the Behemoth and the Leviathan in an attempt to remake the world in their image!
Exploring the Past in The Writer
This issue kicks off with a flashback into the origins of our antagonist Helena. I’ve made reference to Indiana Jones a few times while reviewing this issues, and this flashback sequence in the epitome of that. As a young Russian Governess, Helena was fascinated with the supernatural, so much so that her family disowned her. As she travels the world looking for answers and knowledge, something more sinister finds her and decides to hitch a ride.
How did we get here?! Issue 3 review!
It’s here that our paths first converge. Helena meets Solomon in 1890’s New York, learning more about the ancient magic that his faith possessed. Solomon teaches faith in God, as not to rewrite mankind’s destiny. Helena seeks to use the power to make the world what the wish it to be. Solomon leaves her seeing corruption in her soul only to meet once again Auschwitz in 1942. It’s a brief scene yet powerful, explaining how the keys to the Apocalypse were set into the motion.
What About Now? Where is The Writer?
Back in the present everything seems to be going wrong for Stan and his allies. There’s a point where Izzy’s voice in her head takes over, transforming her into the powerful Queen of Sheba and “The Green Monster” Gatekeeper is resurrected, but even that’s not enough to turn the tide. Once the Behemoth and Leviathan give birth to the end of the world, Stan is out of time and it all seems hopeless.
This is where things get interesting. Throughout the series, a narrator has been not so quietly adding in commentary. A joke here, a reference there, becoming more and more obvious that this is someone watching this happen. Things get Meta as this narrator is revealed and what proceeds is a raw, heartfelt sequence that wraps up the point of the story. It felt almost like Evangelion, but in way that actually makes sense.
What Does It All Mean?
As fun, informative, and enriching as this ride has been, the ending took it to a new level. To see the words and feelings and emotions expressed through the telling of a fantastic adventure story is one thing. To see those things without a filter is another. It feels to me like this was Josh Gad’s love letter to his culture. It contained the things that makes beautiful and magical, while also highlighting the issues that need to be addressed. Any culture or peoples that have deep historical roots are going to hold a lot of baggage. It can be easy to get caught up in the bad, because that’s the most scandalous. That means it can be easy to forget the good as well.
As much as he was talking to those of the jewish faith, he is just as well speaking to anyone who will listen. Celebrate your magical history. Acknowledge the pain and the scars. Be a force to heal the wounds and address the causes. Don’t forget the past, but don’t let it control your future. Much like a comic, every new story can be a new beginning, and the old stories will still be there to enjoy or learn from.
Ariel Olivetti and The Art of The Writer
With each and every issue I’ve made it a point to praise Ariel Olivetti for his extraordinary artwork. I think I’ve bestowed every single flowery, positive, expressive adjective that one can on an artist of his talents. That being said, the master strikes again! It’s another win starting with the sepia like flashback at the beginning of the issue to the bright, colorful, violent battle that ensues and wrapping up with a simple yet powerful journey through the process of writing this story. It was like 3 different styles that stand on their own from one artist. Everything carried a detail that brought it all to life in a way that causes one to revisit pages and panels just to get another glimpse of his splendid work.
Everything Point to 10/10
What a journey it’s been. The Writer jumped out of nowhere to surprise us with a story full of Jewish history. Josh Gad and the Berkowitz Brothers took us on a magical adventure with real world problems and concluded in this issue with a candid and innocent ending that I was not expecting. I think that’s the beauty of this issue…the unexpected. I walked away with not only a better understanding of the Jewish faith but of the importance of art. I will miss new adventures of The Writer but maybe, just maybe we’ll get another chance in the future…”SEE YOU SOON”
