One Final Wish, Make It Count: Reviewing ‘Eight Billion Genies’ #8

It all comes down to one wish. Humanity’s fate and the cycle that plagues them solved by one perfect wish. As all things face another end, the beginning of one being’s journey will inform the end of another’s and the beginning of Earth itself.

On the surface, Eight Billion Genies probably seemed like a comic with a whole-time jump fantastical wishes “how much can humans screw things up?” sort of gimmick. Reading through the first issue or two probably helped dispel that notion really fast for many readers but making it to the final issues most assuredly showed how wrong that assumption has always been if one were to have held it. Wrapped up in the supernatural of the genies and such was a character study aimed at all of humanity itself and our cycles, which is a pretty tall order to bring together even in just eight issues. Yet, Charles Soule, Ryan Browne, Kevin Knipstein, and Chris Crank make it seem quite simple.

Our final issue here is not just the ending of the story we’ve been following since the first issue but also serves as two beginnings, as my word soup intro alludes to. It’s brilliant to begin with and spend half this issue with the tale of Will the bartender and owner of the Lampwick Bar and Grille (where we began this series) who is also a former genie. Not just a former genie though, the genie that cast the final wish of the previous Earth and was therefore rewarded with being able to become human (mostly, still immortal, and unkillable) on this new version of Earth to enjoy whatever time there is till the next eight-billion genie cycle begins again.

Soule does a ton here with Will as they narrate the various flashbacks we see of their choices and travel through history, including the dark things done to slow down humanity’s path towards the G-day all eventually in the name of finding that perfect wish that can save them all. It’s also such a solid move to, outside of the flashbacks, set this whole issue back in the bar where it all began with two of the characters we met then and a third that we met soon afterward. Daisy has made it through the centuries and the person that used their wish instantly for a selfish reason being one of the people that helps create a better Earth to replace her own is that good stuff right there. Talk about character growth and development.

One thing I’ve pointed out in every review has been this deep character focus that has sustained the series, giving us a core group of people to root for and fear for and follow through all these years within the series. Making us feel connected to them to feel sad when bad things befall them or cheer for the moments they push back against the world that has crumbled around them. Creating characters that can elicit those types of bonds in such a short span of time takes a talented writer and that is for sure what Soule has always been.

I did mention a second beginning above and that is reserved for the very end of the issue where Will, Betty, and Daisy come to the very end of this world we’ve seen and the two-centuries-old women make the right choices toward the perfect wish that (bartender) actually finally discovered in their journey. Showing us that Daisy’s wish not only worked but prevented the next G-Day, therefore, breaking the cycle with just one last full Earth splash page was the cherry on top of this delicious poignant sundae.

As noted above, this has been a series that is confident enough in the story it’s telling and in the ability to create such a character-rich narrative that issues that are wild with action and fantastical stuff and those that are quieter more contained affairs coexist perfectly. A large part of that comes from the fact that Browne is a fantastic artist that can hit each of those flavors perfectly, always showcasing such depth and detail and powerful energy no matter the subject matter of the moment.

Almost half the issue is the flashbacks of Will’s lifetime of being a human, and there are many ways that could be done. Trying to fit a ton of flashbacks, and showcasing a variety of moments, needs someone that can capture the emotions of those moments and make them the overall star of the moment without losing the actual setting/depth needed. Browne achieves all of that through a mix of pages that are just closeup panels with Will Genie in the forefront and other figures and spaces with faded-out coloring behind him (making it clear which is Will/Genie as the character’s face/race/gender/etc. changes tons over the centuries) and other pages that spend numerous panels fleshing out some of the important choices made by the former Genie through time.

It’s those moments that we get to see things that are contained but also less contained, since they are happening in various spaces, but are also very ‘normal’ in a sense as they are moments that aren’t fantastical/supernatural on the surface (except for the immortal changing being that is part of them). Very similar to the great work done on the rest of the issue that entirely focuses on three characters sitting in a bar discussing humanity and wishes and the future, and all of it just feels so compelling because we know these characters now and Browne manages to wring out every bit of emotion in these scenes on their faces and person.

All the colors stay toned-down/natural as this bar was protected and one of the last remaining pieces of the world as it was, but also allow for big bright colors to emerge as we get some great panels with the genies towards the end (like that amazing scene where the last Genie shows off their true amorphous mind-bending form). Browne and Knipstein do a great job at mixing the colors here and finding that happy medium between two different sides of the same color palette.

Lettering plays a big part in all comics all the time because it’s a huge part of how things are done (except for the rare ‘silent’ comic that some publishers have employed at times), but some issues more so than others. This is one of those times, as Chris Crank has a ton to do with this being a very heavy dialogue and narrative issue. It would be easy to just dump a bunch of that dialogue onto the page in some big giant bubble or something but that’s not going to be visually or even narratively appealing. Instead, Crank does a masterful job at making sure that all speech bubbles, caption boxes, and other bits of lettering flow around the rest of the artwork in a logical natural way that is easy to follow and even helps guide one through the panel in a way.

It also leaves plenty of room to throw in those fun visual flairs like the great colorful bubbles for the Genies, colorful font for Will’s dialogue narration of the lifetime spent on Earth, plenty of colorful fun dynamic SFX, and more.

Eight Billion Genies #8, the final piece of this series, is now available from Image Comics.