Vanish #8: A Bloody Sabbath

Vanish #8 flows quite nicely into an ending of an arc; consider how on the surface yet incredibly engaging this book has been. Since the first issue, the book has been like a bullet train with no breaks, blazing forward while being attentive enough to pen a story with genuine twists and character development. It’s the best of 90’s extremity, so it was surprising to see how naturally this issue slows to a conclusion, the last few pages a relatively quiet and somber read.

The issue picks up in flashback as the memories of Oliver and Vanish begin to blend, the true origins of both Vanish and Astrum finally being unveiled under Vanish’s narration. Eventually, we pull out into the arc’s climatic final battle, excellently illustrated and paced out with masterful intent, leaving Ollie in a strange place. As the book ends after the fight and the many character/plot-based arcs come to a tight wrap, the reader finds themselves alone with Elyn to share a small moment of sadness and fear with a small kernel of hope.

Avoiding spoilers while discussing the ending is very difficult, but it is, without spoilers, very bittersweet. It’s an emotionally resonant ending, especially for people who have struggled with really dark patches of life, whether it was their life or the slow decay of someone close to them. At the end of the book’s climax, there’s a three-way conversation between Ollie, Elon, and Vanish in his head that represents the kind of dark emotional struggle Ollie has been faced with since the jump. The book still handles that darkness in a very messy and somewhat concerning way, but it’s never failed to represent and elevate it in an honest way.

The battle that dominates the majority of this book is so well executed. Stegman’s pencils must’ve been on fire while drawing this because the storytelling tell on the page here is so damn good, and when paired with the scripts excellent, the fight winds up being super engaging. It’s more than just some punches being thrown in beautiful detail. Not only does the fight lead to massive payoffs for the story, but the fight itself is rife with complications and moments where combat strategy is needed to serve the story.

Those last few pages of the book are the epilogue, leaving everyone in an extraordinary place. Continuing from it is interesting because of how unexpected it is, but it could also spell doom for the rest of the series if they decide to continue. The ending here, tied up with this epilogue, would be a beautiful way to let this story rest.