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Finale: Why Artistic Intent Can Be Divisive

202310 Traviscorwin Finale Book Cover Web1004x1536

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Finale is a review request for a one-shot about the power of art in both comic and song form. The writer, Travis Corwin, used Covid’s lockdown as inspiration for how art can be a force of hope. Even if it can make the division between people worse.

Is A Finale The End?

The post-apocalypse genre is known for making its own rules and themes. In this one-shot, it’s finding the little hopes for anyone willing to be open about it. To avoid going into spoilers, even the most absurd revelation can brighten someone’s day a little bit.

Maybe It Should Be

But not everybody, especially if the message isn’t the intended one.

For real life context consider Ted Lasso, a series that intended its title character to be a tragic hero. But because of how subtle it is in the first season, casual audiences couldn’t grasp it. Hence why the second season had to double down on these darker aspects.

Bittersweet Execution

The slowburn approach that Travis uses is a well structured one where bits and pieces of the message unravels. Readers are intrigued by the main character Ása’s role in the world before and after a power outage. Apparently her parents didn’t think much about it before, but now it’s helped her become some kind of preacher.

Only problem is… when the reader sees the message, it’s so ridiculous it feels like tonal whiplash. It’s an amusing first read, but you really have to wonder why so many post-apocalyptic characters would take it so seriously.

Finale Art(icle)

Phillip Ginn is a talented artist with a decent portfolio on his website. The water color gives a melancholic gimmick to the world of Finale. In contrast, the expressive designs of characters and shift in artwork can highlight big dramatic moments. These can be hopeful and empathetic where everything is in lines, but also a little foreboding when panels turn monochrome.

However, Finale is not his best work when it comes to some action or tension. Like when Ása is confronted by bandits they don’t look too threatening after she was initially startled by a revolver clicking. Not even the gun looks menacing enough, despite its apparent threat. Plus when Ása deflects the barrel into another target, her moves to disarm and take it don’t have much impact. On a final note, I can’t even tell which finger was supposed to be broken on the hand she disarmed.



Finale Could Use A Retake

Finale came from a good place, but it has some of the pitfalls of its genre. Like how the sense of hopelessness in the images and lettering can be exhausting in the first pages. While there’s a memorably campy payoff in hopefulness, the fact that it’s treated so seriously can take readers out of the story. Thankfully the ending does give something to consider… but not much. So with permission from Travis I have to give this one-shot 5.5/10. Honestly the song feels more fulfilling.

Thanks for coming to the end.

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