"Goners #6" Comic Review

This is it.  The succubus Seph stands triumphant with the Latimer family broken and battered.  Young Josiah has been transformed into a demon.  His sister Zoe in his sights.  Their home is in ruins.  Things have been better.  So how does Goners wrap up its first (of hopefully many) story arcs?

I was caught a little off guard by the first few pages of this issue.  It seems like the climax of this final battle is over before it begins.  I was on page 9 or 10 and thinking, “That's it?”  It felt like a cop-out.  I should know by now that writer Jacob Semahn knows what he's doing here, especially after falling hook, line, and sinker for some twists earlier in the arc.  He takes this seemingly lackluster ending and then cranks it up to eleven in a pulse-pounding conclusion that really drives the story home.  It's big.  It's epic.  It's crazy.

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A big part of Goners has been watching Josiah and Zoe grow up way too fast.  After watching their parents die on national television, they go through a whirlwind of supernatural insanity in a very brief amount of time.  It seems like it's only a day or two, if that.  During that time, they witness countless people being murdered while on the run from an assortment of monsters and demons who are out to kill them, all while an evil mastermind orchestrates their family's demise.  Their bloodline has been protecting the world from things that go bump in the night for decades.  Now, whether they like it or not, it's their turn.  

This instant adulthood is no more apparent than in little Josiah.  He has a wisdom behind those eyes after everything he's been through.  He realizes that he has to step up, despite his age, and do what needs to be done.  He's no longer a scared child.  He's a brave young man, capable of amazing things.  Hats off to artist Jorge Corona for providing that look.

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Speaking of Corona, he's got a terrific design for Seph.  It's unlike any demon I've ever seen.  She has a mostly human torso, but with bat-like wings and horns.  Instead of legs, her body sits upon a billowing mass of tendrils, not unlike the Pokemon Tangela, except, you know, scary.  They spread everywhere, making her a lot more threatening, as you never know where or how she'll strike.  

He once again provided a different style for the scenes in the “dream scape”, which is a nice touch.  This watercolor look set these panels apart from the rest of the action-packed issue, giving you a brief moment to catch your breath.  They also added a new level of emotion, as they were pretty touching, providing a sense of closure for some of the characters.  

Goners is the kind of comic that I could see translate easily into a weekly TV show.  These first six issues are basically the pilot.  Granted, the things that Jacob Semahn and Jorge Corona packed this with would require an astronomical budget to produce.  Goners is a blend of action, adventure, horror, and good old-fashioned family drama.  It's about growing up.  It's about standing up for yourself.  It's about kicking ass.