Never Ending is, somewhat ironically, coming to an end. Let’s see how this age-spanning story comes to a close; is it good?
Never Ending #3 (Dark Horse Comics)
There’s a reason that Knave and Kirkbride are a Harvey winning team, and look no further than Never Ending #3 for proof. They know how to make a story matter, they know how to make things resonate. Never Ending is a very memorable miniseries, most of its lasting effect due to this issue.
Never Ending #3 continues the time-line skipping format of the previous issues, just this time with a little more nostalgia and a little less Archie. In this issue Chuck reminisces and regrets, recalling past experiences both joyful and unpleasant. We finally get an explanation of Archie’s transformation from government-funded scientist to evil villain and get a better look at Chuck’s fall and why he is so furious and depressed. All of these flashbacks clue to things that show up later in the issue and play some part in the exciting finale.
Chuck comes full circle to become a character we can all sympathize with in this final issue. All of his narration and his tragic story of downfall lead us to feel bad for Chuck and gives us ample grounds to root for him as he confronts his final enemy. And although she only had a small part in the mini, Chuck’s wife is also immortalized and will be remembered for years to come. Overall, characterization was really well done in this finale.
Although the ending was incredibly climactic and had the right amount of build-up, the final pages were kind of disappointing. Chuck tries on Archie’s old suit as a last resort; sounds awesome, right? But we don’t get to see him actually fight in the suit, we just see him fly into the sky. And “never the end!” as a closing line is only okay in my opinion. It’s sort of an obvious way to end the series but also contradicts the final nature of the last issue. I would be elated if it turns out there is to be another mini of Never Ending.
Is It Good?
This is the ultimate closer for a great series. I would even goes as far as to say this issue is the team’s best work on the mini. I really loved this series and will continue to follow this team.
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