All New Soulfire #8 Review


This is it, but does the creative team bring their narrative journey to a worthwhile finish? Read on to find out.

The official description from Aspen:

This all-new volume of Soulfire reaches its thrilling conclusion, as Malikai and his friends face off with their long-time adversary, Abel, along with his terrible, mechanized monstrosities. It’s a free-for-all that could threaten the future of magic forever!

All New Soulfire 8_Variant CoverThere’s no doubt that this franchise, originally launched by the late great Michael Turner, has always stood tall as something special. It would be easy to simply label it as a fantasy property, but it’s also a comic book that maintains that right mix of personality and technical skill. And this latest release is no different, as the forces behind it usher in differing perspectives on a journey fraught with obstacles.

Franks Mastromauro works with script writer J.T. Krul to polish the final bouts of this engaging plot. Within the brisk pages we see all of our primary characters come face to face with a terrible and mechanical threat. What really sticks out about this outing is the fact that as soon as the tale gets going there’s no stopping it. The scribe unleashes a climax that rampages toward a conclusion which fits the make-up of this volume as well as the 10 for 10 mandate. In short: magic meets metal in a free for all right before our heroes bid farewell to France.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, V Ken Marion is a talent to watch. As much as I respect other illustrators that have graced this world at one time or another, I haven’t been this visually engaged since Michael Turner. Each rendition ebbs and flows with the written word without cheapening the literary legacy of these players. The dynamic pictures gain a comfortable skin full of pure splendor, courtesy of Erick Arciniega and Juanchoo.

All New Soulfire #8 is something that’s downright special as it ends this round with a promising question and renewed hope for it’s cast. For that reason it rises to the occasion and earns a recommendation from me.

OUR RATING
8.5
  • + Had an epic battle.
  • + Offered a solid conclusion.
  • + Grace faced a defining decision.
  • - Some of the dialogue was rather rocky...

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