Review: New York Burns In ‘Dark Web Finale’

Dark Web comes to a close in a story that may not change much, but also changes everything.

Zeb Wells, Adam Kubert, Francesco Mortarino, Scott Hanna, Frank Martin, Guru-eFx, and Joe Caramagna bring this mega-epic to a close.

Chasm and Hallow’s Eve have taken control of Limbo, and have used their new powers to overwhelm New York. Now Spider-Man, the X-Men and Goblyn Queen have to win back the city and defeat the army of demons that hold New York City hostage. Just all in a day’s work for the world’s greatest heroes.

This issue is just a hell of a lot of fun. There’s not a deeper layer to Dark Web overall (though it did resolve things between Jean Grey and Maddie Pryor pretty well), so it’s just a stronger than normal action story. The character beats are good, but there’s not a lot of them. The story ends, and the heroes save the day, but there’s also not a lot of resolution. Ben could be set right with Peter sharing the memories they would share, but I guess Wells has more story there, even with Jean Grey standing right there.

With the issue primarily being an action story, it’s really Kubert’s time to shine. He takes all the disparate elements from a variety of artists, and creates a unified visual style for the issue. He’s got fantastic pacing with the action, laying it out to continually drive the story forward. The only downside to the art is the occasional page where the gutters are a bit too thick, putting excessive negative space on the page. Martin’s colors look fantastic too, as he uses a palette that feels unearthly, but also evokes wildfires casting a shadow over the city.

If you’re looking for something deep and emotionally resonant, unfortunately this isn’t it. But a fun action story, with an interesting twist or two? This is a great one-shot for that.

Dark Web Finale is available now from Marvel Comics.