Final Boss #8 – Dragon’s Den

Prized fighter Tommy Brazen is victorious within the first round of the “Tournament of Champions.” While gaining success, he is nowhere closer to finding his father or the secrets of his grandfather. Can Tommy find the information he needs while also entering the dragon’s den…

Creative Team

Tyler Kirkham (Writer/Artist), David Miller (Artist), Ifansyah Noor (Colorist), Zen (Letterer/Editor)

Publisher: Image Comics

Dragon’s Den

Issue eight of Final Boss follows its star character, Tommy Brazen has he continues his multi-facet journey to find his father while also proving that he is the best fighter on the planet. Within this issue readers will get a continuation of Tommy’s grandfather’s story from 1944. During this flashback, more plot development takes place as the story deepens into an unbelievable setting. Unveiling more of the history of the mysterious Pacific island.

Fast forwarding to the present, Tommy is trying to settle his nerves before his next bout in the tournament. It is during this time that Tommy and Raback are introduced officially to this mysterious character who has been helping them from the shadows. Current readers of Final Boss will ultimately know who this secret character is, but the official unveiling is satisfying to see. This is when a proposal of trust is introduced between the three characters. But time is a struggle for Tommy. He wants to solve his grandfather’s mystery and find his father but must also keep up his appearances within the tournament.

Now it is time for Tommy to face his next opponent in the tournament. He is coming off of a victory and needs to keep that momentum going. But due to the nature of his previous victory the organizer of the tournament is not at all pleased with Tommy’s performance and wishes to see more out of him in this next round. Tommy’s opponent for this round is the leader of the “Cold bloods” gang, Dragod. Dragod is somewhat similar to the character Killer Croc from DC Comics but in the form of a dragon. This is going to be quite the challenge for Tommy…

The last bit of this issue mainly deals with Tommy’s friend, Raback. While showing his support for Tommy before the fight begins, Raback is attacked. This portion of the issue highlights the fighting capabilities of Raback against three or four of Dragod’s goons. Ultimately, I believe this is a way to divert Tommy’s attention away from his fight with Dragod. Making this fight an almost easy win for Dragod. But readers are left of a cliffhanger once again. Left to anticipate what will happen next.

The Writing

Tyler Kirkham continues to do an amazing job at combining two different aspects of the same story into one. The historical aspect of learning about what happened to Tommy’s grandfather provides a learning experience for the readers. Getting to know and understand what took place on this island in 1944. While getting amazing character development from Tommy and Raback! The dialogue is short and sweet leaving plenty of room for action panels when the time is right. There is a level of comedy from Raback which is refreshing coming from a story that contains a high level of seriousness.

The Artwork

The art by David Miller and Ifansyah Noor continues to be a staple for this series. Vibrant colors pin point areas for the reader to focus in on. While also highlighting the amazing details laid out by the pencilwork especially within character definition. The details that make up the character Dragod are phenomenal! The action panels are beautifully executed allowing the reader to feel every action that is taking place.

Variant Covers

Final Thoughts

The Tournament of Champions must go on! This issue provides history as well as high stakes action for not only Tommy but also his friend Raback. Readers are not going to want to miss the “about time” introduction of a character from the shadows. This series is picking up the pace not only with the history of the island, but also the difficulty of the tournament rounds as well. Make sure to pick up Final Boss #8 at your local shop today!

Overall Grade: 9/10

Links

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Previous Final Boss Review: Final Boss #7 – Owl’s Nest
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