Advance Review: ‘W0rldtr33’ #6 Explores What Happens After The End
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
While this issue is clearly setting up future developments — and no doubt those developments will be shocking — there is plenty to appreciate here. The story and artwork remain strong while the coloring helps to draw readers’ attention to a new character who will likely play a key role moving forward.
Overall
8.5/10What happens after the end of the world? Turns out it’s a lot of preparing for the future.
It’s not the literal end of the world but rather one in which most electronics no longer work and the cloud is emptied of all data. The internet is no more. Cell phones are bricked. People have to read paper books and actually…talk to each other. The horror!
That is the state of affairs in the latest issue of W0rldtr33, which picks up a week after the malicious Undernet knocked out much of our technology. Society is trying to pick up the pieces after a series of mass killings around the world. The government is investigating what happened and figuring out who to blame. And the dead are getting buried. In the end, most people seem to be coping.
This first issue in the new storytelling arc is clearly setting up what is to come next. It’s not a groundbreaking chapter by any stretch, but writer James Tynion IV is carefully laying a foundation here. While that doesn’t make issue #6 the most compelling read, Tynion has shocked us before by suddenly changing direction. Readers would be wise to pay attention and prepare themselves for just about anything.
A downside to all this setup is that we don’t get to see Ph34r, the naked woman who helped to bring about the technological apocalypse. We hear her briefly, and the consequences of her actions are apparent, but her depictions – both visually and her chilling dialogue – were a highlight of the initial arc.
That’s thanks to Tynion’s bloodcurdling script and Fernando Blanco’s stunning visuals. Blanco doesn’t have as much to work with in this issue with all the story building. But his knack for drawing differentiated characters is on fine display.
Kudos as well to colorist Jordie Bellaire, whose late-90s flashback has a subdued palate that looks as though there’s a film over those pages. Her colors for 2024 are largely earthtones, save for a new character who wears a bright red Asian jacket adorned with dragons. Bellaire is clearly sending readers a signal that this guy, a would-be bodyguard for FBI agent Silk, is someone to watch.
Taking a short breather to set up a new arc is fine as long as there’s some payoff coming soon. Based on this series’ strong history, that payoff could be as satisfying as it is shocking.
W0rldtr33 #6 will be available for purchase on December 27, 2023.
