Advance Review: The End Becomes The Beginning In ‘Swan Songs’ #3
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
The series about endings deals uses this issue to deal with what happens after the end. It’s a post-apocalyptic story that will have you asking lots of questions about human nature and whether we are all just part of a story that was written for us.
Overall
9/10What happens when the end becomes the beginning?
Do Adam and Even get to live in Eden for a time? Must they be tempted by the forbidden fruit of knowledge? Is their son Cain destined to kill his brother Able, even in a new reality?
Those are some of the questions the latest issue of Swan Songs explores. The anthology series deals with endings. But this time, the creative team looks at what happens after the end of the world. It’s an intriguing take on the series’ central conceit – and a great way of breaking up various stories about endings to leave readers guessing what will come next.
In this story, the end in question is really the beginning of the tale. A nuclear holocaust occurred before the opening pages. Two young people, Adeline and Evan, emerge from their bunkers to explore what’s left of the planet. Like with Adam and Eve, the pair name the radiation-mutated animals they encounter and eventually build a paradise for themselves centered around a large tree.
Writer W. Maxwell Prince relies heavily upon biblical refences, with touches of sarcasm and realism thrown in for good measure. His story is an easy read, yet a fascinating one. In the end though, he leaves the reader with significant doubt that the new world the pair have built will end any differently than the last one. It’s as if we are not truly masters of our destiny – rather we are all playing parts in a story that has been written for us, eons ago.
Artist Filipe Andrade gives his illustrations an ethereal feel. We never get a good look at Adeline and Evan, because ultimately, what they look like doesn’t really matter. Even the landscapes are obscured through a post-nuclear holocaust haze. It rightfully gives the impression that this story, like that of the Garden of Eden, isn’t a literal one.
Prince’s storytelling has been top-notch in this series as well as in Ice Cream Man. The difference is that, despite always dealing with endings, the Swan Songs tales tend to be more upbeat. It’s a nice change – and one that hopefully won’t have an ending for a long time.
Swan Songs #3 will be available for purchase on September 6, 2023.
