FINAL BOSS #1 – New Comic Review

Final Boss #1, by Image Comics on 11/19/25, enters the cage with the cockiness of a champion and the battered optimism of an underdog, promising a brawl of mythic proportions.

Credits:

• Writer: Tyler Kirkham
• Artist: Tyler Kirkham, David Miller
• Colorist: Ifansyah Noo
• Letterer: Troy Peteri
• Cover Artist: Tyler Kirkham (cover A)
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: November 19, 2025
• Comic Rating: Mature (gore, language)
• Cover Price: $4.99
• Page Count: 52
• Format: Double-Sized Issue

Covers:

Analysis of FINAL BOSS #1:

First Impressions:

There’s no warm-up round here. Final Boss #1 starts with blood, trauma, and a side order of existential crisis, all before breakfast. The opening leans hard into its concept, swinging for gritty realism but flirting with old-school pulp, landing somewhere between a fever dream and a Saturday night bar fight. One thing is instantly clear: subtlety is not on the card.

Plot Analysis:

The story opens on a nightmare flashback: a World War II combat scenario where Captain Jay Brazen and his squad stumble into ancient ruins, only for all hell to break loose. Real or imagined, this memory gnaws at Tommy Brazen, ex-fighter and current life disaster, who wakes battered, physically and otherwise, in the present day. Tommy spends his mornings patching up old wounds, losing sleep over family legacies, and chasing his next payday.

He’s scraping by in the underworld of suburban odd jobs, part-time enforcer, part-time underground fighter, all the time unlucky. A call from a fixer leads Tommy into the next bout, one that promises just enough cash to chase down his deadbeat dad and maybe buy a clue about Grandpa Jay’s old stories. Along the way, Tommy’s “special” talents, as in superhuman recovery and strength, call back to those tall tales about gods, ancient relics, and the type of bad decisions that make for good myth.

Tommy’s desperation lands him in a no-rules championship match as a last-minute substitute, pitting his six-win streak against a literal mountain named Chain Pain. The main event turns into a brutal brawl, complete with bone-crunching action, taunting from both sides, and flashes of that mysterious family artifact. As the fight escalates, Tommy finds his physical pain transforming into a source of power, amplifying his strength in the ring as if those old war stories were prepping him for this very moment.

Winning the fight doesn’t come easy, or clean, but come it does, just in time for Tommy to realize that raw power answers questions about survival, not about legacy. The tale leaves him, and the reader, with more bruises than answers and plenty of hype for the next round.

Story

Final Boss #1 paces itself like a headliner who forgot to catch his breath. Every page is packed with hard-boiled banter and bruised ambition. Dialogue flips between tough-guy quips and moments of haunted introspection, rarely wasting a panel on niceties. Structurally, the book lands its big beats, such as nightmare, job offer, twist, and brawl without dawdling, though transitions sometimes wobble as it jumps timelines and tones.

Art

The linework is bold and physical, matching the slugfest tone, while action frames hit with the clarity of a televised MMA fight. Colors skew gritty, laying on mood in thick coats that fit the protagonist’s hangdog worldview. There’s gusto in the brawls and energy in crowd shots, but quieter scenes occasionally drown in shadow or overworked detail, making some sequences tougher to parse than a fighter’s MRI scan.

Characters

Tommy Brazen is as consistent as a concussion; pain, hope, and relentless determination define every move. His motivations are spelled out in bruises: a dead family, lost purpose, and the ghost of Grandpa Jay pushing him on. Side characters orbit his misery and goals efficiently, though they’re largely window dressing in a world built solely for Tommy to punch through.​

Originality & Concept Execution

Take a pinch of Norse legend, a sprinkle of UFC drama, and an overactive imagination and you get Final Boss #1, blending old myths with new-age street fighting, delivering a premise more ambitious than subtle. While the ancient-power-meets-underground-cage-match concept is fresh out the gate, the execution leans on genre comfort food, occasionally favoring homage over innovation.

Positives

The book throws its weight behind kinetic action and troubled heroism, never letting the spectacle sag. Tommy’s journey pounds out real stakes with every punch, selling the idea that even in a world of lost gods and lost causes, sweating for survival is relatable. Action fans get their money’s worth in page-filling chaos, and the moments where legacy and self-doubt collide feel earned, not forced.

Negatives

When brevity takes a breather, the comic stumbles; scene changes can be abrupt, and supporting players might as well have “future backstory” stamped on their foreheads. Not every dialogue lands a hit. Hardboiled swings sometimes come off forced or repetitive. Art dazzles in the fight scenes but turns muddy when the fists aren’t flying, while hints of something mythic end up feeling more like sequel bait than satisfying world-building.

Art Samples:

The Scorecard

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 3/4
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 3/4
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 1/2

Final Thoughts:

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There’s enough punch, myth, and style in FINAL BOSS #1 to warrant a return to the ring, but only for those ready to trade subtlety for spectacle. It’s a rowdy, bruising opener that swings for legend and lands mostly on its feet, if not entirely on target. If you’ve already got taste for dirt-under-the-nails comic brawls, the book is worth a round. Just don’t expect to leave with all your teeth.

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