Such is the end of an incredible journey. “Undertow” # 6 serves as a beautiful conclusion that is grounded in character and offers a revealing reminder that sometimes our homes can be the worst parts of us.
WRITTEN BY: Steve Orlando
ART BY: Artyom Trakhanov
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: July 23, 2014
I’ve been in love with this series from the beginning. However, I wasn’t expecting a conclusion like this. It’s as thoughtful as they come and grounded in an ugly truth that I didn’t know I wanted to learn. It also has tons of action and confrontation that needed to happen for everything to get neatly wrapped up. In short this is a phenomenal conclusion.
After the events of last month the fates of the main trio of characters were lying in question. Orlando quickly answers this questions and moves his final script into high gear within moments. The finale plays with breakneck pace and despite never slowing down, doesn’t miss a single character beat. It’s an impressive feat.
Artyom Trakhanov handles the heavy script as if it’s a walk in the part. He makes the final confrontations in this issue into a dizzying ballet of death and never loses the reader in the process. His colors are at the absolute height and prove that he’s a force to be reckoned with in the comic book world. The pastel colors put an eerie glow over the death on display throughout the pages. And holy hell, the work on the final confrontation with Anshargal is just what dreams are made of. It’s executed so simply but still remains on the issue’s highpoints.
I struggle to think of how to cope in a world without “Undertow.” I feared that this final issue would lay on the conflict a little too heavily and forget about the characters, but I should have known better. Orlando makes it look easy and never visits character beats as an afterthought, instead their worked organically into the core narrative.
Anshargal is a compelling force that I could never quite get a fix on throughout this entire series, and here I was pleasantly surprised by his motivations. He makes everything clear and even evolves as a character. I was too quick to dismiss him, and was floored to see how Ukinnu’s relationship with the leader is about to evolve.
The epilogue of the issue shows the unsightly home of Atlantis we’ve heard so much about, and shows exactly what these characters have fought so hard against during these six issues. It’s a beautiful dessert after the main course that helped ground one of the main characters struggles in a horrifying way.
“Undertow” is a spectacle, it’s well written, beautifully drawn, and evokes incredible emotion. It’s a story of self-discovery, and new frontiers. I can’t recommend it enough, and encourage you to learn a thing or two by picking it up.