Divided They Fell, But United They Stand: Reviewing ‘Strange Academy: Finals’ #6

Since the moment the gates opened to the inaugural class of students of Strange Academy, a prophecy has hovered around them. It defined many of their adventures as they struggled to find themselves and find their place in this new school, with so much friction between students and staff. As the final issue of this magical series arrives, the ever-present prophecy reaches its inevitable conclusion and not everyone survives the experience.

This is a very rapid-paced issue as almost all the pages are focused on this final confrontation between Emily Bright and her classmates, chiefly her former boyfriend Doyle Dormammu. At the same time, it all balances on the relationships and emotions of these students (and the adults) pulling from everything they and we have experienced through the past twenty-three issues.

Concluding issues can be a bit of a mixed bag because sometimes they are planned and other times, they come out of nowhere meaning things are left unfinished or unsaid and it doesn’t feel fulfilling as a reader. This is one of the former as this was the planned way to bring this moment to a close as every single thread has been meticulously leading us right to this very moment. All the character beats, the little plots, and the adventures that moved characters strategically around the playing board. What Skottie Young, Humberto Ramos, Edgar Delgado, and Clayton Cowles created with this series is truly something special both in the sense of what was in the pages but also in the sense of its place in the Marvel Universe, as we rarely get things like this which is a shame.

Every bit of these characters and the world have been fleshed out, as Young has so lovingly given them the attention and details needed. This has been an emotional roller coaster of a series in the best way possible and really speaks to just how good a writer Young really is. We’ve seen it on various things, and it’s never been a fact that is doubted at this point, but there is just some spark in this series that I think just really stands out. Even to the last moment Young moves us to a point where we watch our young heroes win the day but also lose so much, but in the end, they find joy and the series ends on the brightest of notes. This a note so hopeful and positive that it stings to know we won’t be regularly seeing any more from this series, but the journey has been more than worth it.

Visually this series is so detailed, deep, colorful, and magical in so many ways. Ramos has the perfect style for a series like this because it has a very fun almost whimsical sort of slant to it but at the same time is very deep and nails the heavier aspects so easily. There is a darkness and roughness inherent in this story, it is a big dangerous fight between friends, riding that line between fantastical and realistic. Also, there is a great sense of scale on display as characters that are meant to be bigger in size feel that way and the world has a depth to it that makes it really feel like these are real places we could step into at any moment.

A mix of colorful and dark is what we also see with the colors that Delgado brings to the story, having a sharpness that matches that of the artwork so well. All the magical and fantastical elements are as otherworldly as they should feel while the colors as a whole are somewhat toned down in order to make sure they are not too vivid. Doing this makes the darker elements stand out more and keeps that semi-realistic energy that can be felt throughout the artwork. One of the things that I point to through all these reviews is how magical is a unifying force but comes with a uniqueness that is reflected in the colors, as every single character has their own associated colors when using their magic or other abilities.

Similarly, there are unique flairs added to the various bits of lettering to capture the personality of every character, from changes to the font or the bubbles that just are so much fun. All the colors on display and different types of fonts show speech differently from characters like Doyle or Dessy or others speaking to the fact that they are from different places (dimensions in some cases) with voices that are so different because of their various magical backgrounds. Cowles is just so darn good at lettering and brings so much to the page beyond just putting the necessary words on the pages. Through the work that Cowles has done we not only accurately ‘hear’ each of the characters, but we can feel them through their emotions, personality, and quirks that are showcased.

I’ve loved this series since the first issue and while I’m sad that it’s now over, I’m appreciative of the journey that these creators and those behind them were able to bring to us all. Books like this with such diverse casts and creators are truly important and needed in the comic book space. While I’m a huge Spider-Man and X-Men fan, they will always have tons of stories to them and have status quos that eventually they must return to. It’s books like these, whether they run for a long or short time, that can do some amazing things because they aren’t beholden to any status quo and can fully dig into the uniqueness that is possible within the Marvel Universe.

Strange Academy: Finals #6 is now available from Marvel Comics.