MONOMYTH #6, from Mad Cave Studios on 10/25/23, brings the magical adventure of a wizarding battle royale to a close with a lesson about stories.
The Details
- Written by: David Hazan
- Art by: Federico Bertoni, Cecilia Lo Valvo
- Colors by: Marissa Louise
- Letters by: Lucas Gattoni
- Cover art by: Juan Doe
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: October 25, 2023
Is MONOMYTH #6 Good?
It’s unclear what happened in MONOMYTH #6, but the nicest way we could put it is that David Hazan lost the plot. Truly, the finale brings the deadly contest to a close without resolving major plot points, adding new developments, and leaving you with the worst possible question a reader should be asking – “What was the point of this story?”
When last we left the survivors of the mysterious master’s death contest, Kerr and Julia teamed up to find the heart of the castle. Meanwhile, Kole raised three of the dead contestants, in monster form, to aid him in a race to the finish. Now, Kole leans into his assumed role as the “evil twin” to kill Kerra and Julia to take the crown. However, Kerra won’t give up on her twin brother, and Julia finds a way to end the monstrous story of her departed friends. Ultimately, it’s the bonds formed that defeat the evil wizard and restore balance.
“Huh? Who? What?” you’re probably thinking. Several developments happen off-panel and between issues, only explained in this issue with brief bits of exposition. You never see Kole raise the dead into monster slaves. You never see Kerra and Julia develop a romantic relationship(???). And you never learn the identity of the Young King and the Evil Wizard shown in the prologues of each issue. In short, a lot happens that you never see, so the ending turns out as well as you might expect.
What’s great about MONOMYTH #6? Well, the story ends with a new status quo with potential for the future. Kole, Kerra, and Julia end up in different places (not necessarily happy ones), so the opportunity is ripe to head in new directions.
What’s not so great about MONOMYTH #6? Hazan’s plot is a mess. So much of the mystery centers on the wizard’s identity, but you never get a straight answer as to who or what he is. It’s not defined what’s at stake for the winner of the crown (There’s an implication that the winner relinquishes his/her body to the wizard, but it’s no clear.) And that romantic bond between Julia and Kerra comes out of nowhere. You get the strong idea Hazan had pieces of ideas but couldn’t make them fit together in a cohesive plot.
How’s the art? Odd. Bertoni continues the guest art duties started in the last issue and carries them through to the epilogue, where Lo Valvo picks the art back up again. The timing and transitions suggest the scripts for the final two issues had to go through a major rework, and Lo Valvo couldn’t make the necessary changes in time. Each artist does a fine job with their respective styles, but their styles don’t complement each other, and the jarring transitions give the series a lopsided, disjointed feel.
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What’s MONOMYTH #6 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our MONOMYTH #5 review to find out what happened when Kole found the talking head.
We begin with Kerra and Julia arriving in the throne room to find Homunculus’s head on the throne. The head still talks, but the voice does not belong to Homunculus, but the voice of the evil wizard at the heart of this competition. Kerra presses the head for answers, but all he will divulge is that he’s been around for a long time.
Suddenly, Kole arrives with their resurrected allies turned into monsters. Kole launches a magical attack against Kerra after he orders the monsters to attack Julia. Julia is injured in the fight, but she figures out a way to use the monsters’ stories against them. Kerra and Kole become locked in an ethereal space while their physical forms continue to be locked in a magic battle. There, Kerra implores Kole to reject the story the wizard has given him.
We conclude the issue with the magic of threes, a lecture, and a hard look in the mirror.
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Final Thoughts
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MONOMYTH #6 concludes the eclectic magic story about an evil wizard’s battle royale and completely falls apart with off-panel developments, out-of-nowhere contrivances, and jarringly inconsistent art. It’s ironic that a mini-series based on the magic of stories can’t keep its own story straight.
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