REVIEW: 'End After End' #1 by David Andry, Tim Daniel, Sunando C, and Kurt Michael Russell

END AFTER END #1

Writer: David Andry, Tim Daniel

Artist: Sunando C, Kurt Michael Russell

Letters: Jim Campbell

Publisher: Vault Comics

Release Date: August 24, 2022

Cover Price: $4.99

Life is nothing if not a series of endings.

School. Jobs. Friendships. Love.

Until THE end.

Walter Willem's end was fast and unexpected. His was an unremarkable life. So, how is it that his story continues as cannon fodder in an endless war waged against an insatiable darkness hellbent on consuming all of existence?

And is Walter right in believing he's arrived in the midst of this titanic battle as the one destined to finally end it?

That's the tale of the End After End.

Score:

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

End After End #1 by David Andry and Tim Daniel, with art by Sunando C., colors by Kurt Michael Russell, and letters by Jim Campbell is a captivating ride from the very beginning. 

In the spirit of classic films like The Incredible Mr. Limpet and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court where a regular schlub gets transported to an extraordinary time and place, 'End After End' takes Walter Willem to the afterlife that's merely a pit stop to his final destination unless he survives in a fantastic world at war. It's some sort of purgatory where you must fight to survive along with other people, some of them have wings, against a dark imposing force and protect a queen-like figure at all costs. The creators have imagined a wonderful premise mixing Lord of the Rings with Defending Your Life.

The story launches into this dark fantasy within a page after Walter's freak accident. Confused and disoriented, he struggles to get his bearings and understand what's going on. Readers will be just as confused at first but will get additional information as the issue goes on. As Walter asks questions, he and the reader will begin to get a better picture of what's at stake. Andry and Daniel thrust the reader right into the action and while we don't know a lot about Walter it's obvious he's not the heroic type, more of a reluctant combatant. 

Sunando C does a great job at character design. So much detail comes from the eyes of the different characters that speak volumes and support the emotional weight of battle. Sunando provides the scope of the terrain but the majority of the story is told in close-up, expressed in the faces of all. The demon-like dark forces are imposing and frightful as they march forward. Kurt Michael Russell's colors are rich but subtle giving this world a vintage sheen of green, blue, and brown. It's unique in some ways but familiar to fans of fantasy. 

'End After End' #1 is a great debut of enormous promise. An unexpected adventure within the afterlife gives this story a fresh take on fantasy and action. The creators don't give away too much but enough to get readers hooked. It's the type of first issue that drops you in the middle of the action and provides answers later. Quickly paced with immersive world-building, 'End After End' is a delightful ride worth taking.