Written by Kurtis Wiebe
Illustrated by Riley Rossmo“LOST CHILDREN,” Part Five
The tragic finale of Lost Children culminates with final retribution against one of Green Wake’s occupants. Morley unlocks an integral clue to his first steps in uncovering Green Wake’s earliest secrets.
Originally we were going to run an advance review of the final issue of “Green Wake”, but after some thought we realized — all the things we could conceivably want to discuss in a final issue couldn’t be discussed if the issue wasn’t out yet. It’s completely unfair to discuss spoilers before most people even have the opportunity to see what happened.
So we waited a day for the book to be on shelves for at least 24 hours, and now we’re going to discuss it a bit more freely.
Check behind the cut for some thoughts on the final issue of “Green Wake”, and please be aware that spoilers are discussed. Don’t forget to also check out our wrap-up chat with Kurtis Wiebe on some of the book’s final mysteries and his thoughts on the finale.
So — this is the end. Despite originally being pegged for 25 issues, or five arcs, “Green Wake” was cut down to ten issues due to poor sales (a frequently repeated fact, but an important one none the less). The most important factor to consider here is that, due to “Green Wake” being announced as finished after the ninth issue was completed, this left series co-creators Wiebe and Rossmo with a rather unfair task: wrapping up all the major “Green Wake” plot threads in one final issue. With six extra pages granted to tie it all together and numerous questions left to be answered, it’s an unenviable task that weighs upon the creators here.
The way that “Green Wake” had been building was similar to many slow burn/long-form mystery sagas. With many ideas being seeded throughout issues, all of which are under the assumption that the story would be given its time to evolve, we essentially enter into the same scenario that the shows Pushing Daisies or Carnivale found themselves in a few years ago when they were both cancelled well into its seconds season, leaving many questions unanswered. That is, in so many words, the gambit that serialized media of this nature ultimately take upon themselves, and every now and then you end up in the sticky situation that “Green Wake” found itself.
With this final issue, Wiebe does his best to tie it all together in the end. Many of the questions are answered, some directly and some indirectly. The series’ ultimate “villain,” Hecate, stands revealed in a confrontation with the series hero Riley, and questions of identity and circumstantial placement are both touched upon as well. Of course, the fact that Wiebe has a singular issue to introduce as many resolutions as he can in such a short time frame does resolve in a hit or miss scenario for the title; in a few instances, questions are simply “answered” unceremoniously (such as the confirmation that the frogs were once people), which is precisely when the strain of forced resolution.
Yet the majority of the book’s subject matter is answered with the same blurry sense of clarity “Green Wake” has always offered. While there are certainly correct answers to every question (which Wiebe was very open about online), the book ultimately allows for enough reader interpretation should you so choose, to the same extent that “Green Wake’s” original five-issue story allotted. “Green Wake” is ultimately what you make of it, and that is the single most apt thought present when the final page is revealed.
To that end, the “Green Wake” finale is very much a success. While it is incredibly unfortunate that circumstances are what they are, Wiebe and Rossmo make the best of it, offering up as much closure as possible and sending Morley, Krieger and almost everyone they could to their final destination. The mystery of Green Wake is ultimately solved, and while the hero doesn’t quite the girl, his victory is satisfactory. If you were reading the book to see Morley finally get his moment, Wiebe and Rossmo deliver that in spades, and no punches are pulled.
Continued belowAs much as the book is Wiebe’s pet project, though, it is ultimately Rossmo who truly steals the show in the final issue. Rossmo has always offered up an incredibly dynamic style that fit well with the dystopian and shifting/uncertain elements of the town of Green Wake, and his handling of the different time frames was equally as exciting. With the final issue bringing to a close the stories of multiple character, Rossmo’s shift between times and colors per sequence, especially with Morley’s final scene in particular, the ultimate closure is delivered quite viscerally in what is essentially the only bright moment of the entire series.
“Green Wake” was a twisted tale of metaphors with a Lynch-esque vibe that did the entire Shadowline imprint at Image proud. While the series doesn’t get its perfect ending, it helps to remember that in life, there are often times no perfect endings to anything. In Green Wake, that inevitably makes perfect sense.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
