Bigger Than Capes

Publisher: Image
Story: David Hine & Brian Haberlin
Art: Brian Haberlin
Colours: Geirrod Van Dyke
Letters: Francis Takenaga

Here we are in the penultimate issue of one of my favourite books at the moment, Jules Verne’s Lighthouse. What a heck of a ride this was. There was tension and a real emotional nooooooo moment which was a twist I did not see coming. I was pretty emotional by the end, in the best ways.

When last we left Vasquez she was being hunted by Krongre and his gang. She had to survive the hunt which was going to last five hours. Not long you might think, but it is when you’re being pursued by people intent on murdering you and who have given you an unloaded gun and not much of a head start.

Luckily Vasquez is determined and resourceful and is not going to go down without a fight. She’s also supported by Moses and Davis.

Moses does get one of the best lines this issue after Davies removed the part of his programming preventing him from killing sentient beings. As he gleefully strangles a libertarian pirate he points out he’s been waiting a long time to do that. This change on programming is going to have some interesting consequences later however leading to that noooo what? moment I mentioned earlier.

I don’t want to give too much plot away because there are some revelations here. I do wonder if Filipe’s story is over as she shows she sympathy for Vasquez. Davis might think there’s a possibility that Filipe might be on their side but Moses points out she’s fitting in very well with the libertarian pirates. Where people’s loyalties lie has been a strong theme throughout and I feel like we’ve not seen the last yet of that conundrum.

It does seem as if Vasquez is finding a strength both physical and moral that wasn’t there before. She is determined to survive and do the right thing, eve if it might mean her own death. She can no longer sit by as she starts a reckoning with her past. Again I am very keen to see what will happen in the finale and what Vasquez will ultimately choose to do.

Another shout out to the art which is brilliant as always. Take a look a the cover. I can safely tell you that yeah Kongre is riding a weird cross between an animal and a flying motorbike and it’s a great bit of design work. And yes it appears within the pages of the comic. There’s a wild west vibe in this issue partly due to the art. I love the weird mix of that and the more classic sci-fi elements.

Once again the panels layout just makes this an absolute pleasure to read. I have never been bored by a page in any of the previous issues and that remains the case here. It’s a really great read.

I can’t really say much more other than it’s excellent. I am really excited to see what’s in store for the final issue. At the same time I am worried for the characters I have grown rather attached to. The fact they keep surprising me, even in this the penultimate issue, is really a great sign of how well they are written.

In conclusion a really great penultimate issue. Here’s to the finale.