Though “Midnighter” #12 is the finale of the series, the title hero is far from completing his mission. This unlikely superhero has a future that is left wide open with this thrilling conclusion bursting with violent fireworks.
Written by Steve Orlando
Illustrated Aco and Hugo PetrusMidnighter, Apollo and the Suicide Squad square off against The Unified—one of Henry Bendix’s most dangerous creations! Is their combined strength enough to stop a being as powerful as Superman and as intelligent as Midnighter?
The best of final issues tie up loose ends as neatly as possible while leaving us satisfied (or appropriately not, depending on the book) that the characters have received a memorable send-off. “Midnighter” #12 ties up some loose ends concerning our hero’s past while still giving us what this book has always done for its year-long life: giving us a character with a unique voice and thrilling visuals. Writer Steve Orlando has treated this title as a labor of love and is definitely not ready to let Midnighter go off meekly into the sunset. With Orlando on the upcoming “Supergirl” title, here’s to hoping that this hard-ass crime fighter with a heart of gold can weasel his way somehow into the Girl of Steel’s book.
Orlando has succeeded in coaxing us to care for a character who is ultra-violent yet genuinely cares for his fellow man. Midnighter wallows in the violence and embraces that violence in the same way that he embraces everything about himself. This is a man comfortable with his sexuality, as open as he can be with others, and exudes a confidence both admirable and sexy. Orlando has shown us his growth over twelve issues. In “Midnighter” #12, Orlando gives us a few moments that show a man who has truly and naturally evolved. With this final issue, Orlando has proven his grasp of characterization and action. He also proved he can mix them both and create a unique tale that keeps ahold of our imagination and our empathetic side.
From issue one, Orlando’s scripts could not have been as successful without the artistic team involved in its creation. “Midnighter” #12 has both Aco, the primary artist on the book, and Hugo Petrus contributing pages. Both have similar yet distinct styles. Both are adept at lending a kinetic style that forces you to pore over the detail and chaotic action they toss on the page. From the meticulous damage caused by Midnighter’s fist put under a microscope to facial features that are pure grizzled emotion, both artists bring some of their best and most defining work on this character to the issue.
In particular, Aco does some of his best work on the series in “Midnighter” #12. The battle between Midnighter and the “super” man created by Midnighter’s archenemy is a class in how to bring drama and chaos to a scene while making it visually interesting. These aren’t pages you just glance over to get to the final outcome. One page has twelve panels where point of view and disorientation are used to exciting effect. The shots he gives us are ones that are comic book in nature and seemingly impossible to depict in any other medium. In one panel, we get to see Midnighter from inside of the villain’s mouth. Pure ingenuity pours out of his pen whenever he’s given the reins. Only certain artists can give us blood and guts in one panel and then give us a splash page depicting the love between two people. Like Orlando, Aco understands Midnighter and the complexity of his thirst for violence and desire for heroics and love.
Hugo Petrus, despite having a similar style to Aco, has traits in his art that are distinctly different than Aco’s pages. Petrus focuses more on realism in his characters, with facial features and eyes more defined, while Aco has a more surrealistic edge. Petrus’s art is more grounded (or as grounded as something as “Midnighter” can be in certain moments) yet does not jar us with a style far removed from the rest of the issue.
Romulo Fajardo, Jr.’s coloring work on “Midnighter” #12 pops with bright, neon wonder. Violence and bloody action have never looked this attractive and, at times, sexy. Billowing bursts of yellow explosions burn with a wondrous intensity that make you forget the mayhem all around Midnighter, his cohorts, and his enemies. We get to see the insides of someone as they’re electrocuted and the skeleton glows red with an aquamarine sheen that is simply pretty. The coloring highlight of this issue, and the testament to Fajardo’s brilliant skill, is that splash page with Midnighter and Apollo. A scene involving blood and destruction (gorgeously depicted by artist Aco) has no right to look so sexy. Fajardo, with his issues of “Midnighter”, has shown that a colorist can imbue a book with sensuality and life in any circumstance.
Steve Orlando has a future with DC Comics in the pages of the upcoming “Supergirl”. Let’s hope the artistic team has a future as well. The “Midnighter” team, up until its final issue, have succeeded in creating a unique experience full of outrageous wonder while also making us care about a man who can make heads explode (both literally and figuratively). We’re going to miss this hero. However, I doubt we’ve seen the last of his particularly unique brand of crime fighting.
Final Verdict: 8.9 – “Midnighter” #12 brings this chapter of the title hero’s life to a satisfying conclusion.
