Writers: Ulises Farinas, Erick Freitas / Artist: Daniel Irizarri / Lion Forge Comics (Buno Books)

Final issue of Cloudia & Rex here and it does NOT disappoint. I read Issue #2 and knew this great mini series was coming to a close and had a feeling the creative team would be able to wrap this up with closure and a decent ending. I wasn’t wrong. The girls finally find their mom and the High Waveform that seeks to make it so all the other Gods won’t exist has finally caught up with everyone. It is a catch 50/50, really. You knew Black girls were magic but Black Mamas? Black Mothers should never be doubted for the power they wield. Several themes weave through the story of this book — how we grieve, how it affects others, transitioning into something new, becoming more than what we are.

Moms, at such an opportune time, discovers a power of her own – the power to travel through time where she can live in better AND worse times. This means she can physically live in a bubble and have her husband back, her whole family back. She can have a younger Cloudia before she became a moody teenager. She can relive some of the happiest days of her life and not have to worry about the present — you know, the full of scale of destruction of the world and all of the Gods scrambling.

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It is bittersweet to read and experience; one can certainly draw parallels to one’s own life. Loved ones that are no longer with us that we wish we had more time with? Yet living in the past won’t save you. Living in the past won’t make life easier. Living in the past won’t fix the dilemmas that face you today. Living in a bubble, hanging on to memories that you want to live in and not move forward from can block you from remembering what’s important: the present, your family, the ones who need you, taking care of what faces you today. This is the important lesson here and it’s gloriously presented.

Cloudia finally get it as she finally learns she isn’t alone. Rex and Mom are going through this too. Cloudia is part of something bigger than just herself. She’s a part of a family. She’s part of a whole even if her father isn’t around anymore. She needs to step up. She needs her Mom. And Rex. Just as the Gods need each other and ultimately the help of Cloudia to make it.

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Back in the first issue of this mini series, I touched upon the art: while it was dreamy and visually a treat I was irked by some of the facial expressions. It was hard to differentiate Cloudia and her mother at times because their faces blended together. Here in the last issue, there’s been more care to fix this and it has paid off handsomely. The best examples of this are the flashback scenes which are lovingly crafted, from when the girls’ father Anthony was alive to even when their parents met as teenagers.

The High Waveform is still on a mission to take out all the Gods and make it so they never existed, Cloudia and fam are still involved and the final showdown needs Cloudia’s heart, wits, and of course her cell phone to save the day. On the art side there’s a lot of well illustrated (and colored) busy-ness going on but I didn’t get lost reading and following along. This issue wrapped up this mini series fairly well with Cloudia stepping up and taking responsibility, and maturing a great deal. Hello character development! Sometimes it takes catastrophic events in our lives to shake us up out the hangups and sorrows we’ve been sitting in. For Cloudia, Rex and their Mom they learn this lesson in perhaps the most supernatural way and it leads to them to healing and becoming closer. As for the Gods seeking salvation, I’ll let you be the judge of their new fate. While I’m sad to see this mini series end, this has been the strongest issue and a fantastic way to close out the series. Bravo creative team!

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9 Blood Sacrifices Out Of 10

See our site’s other reviews of Cloudia & Rex! See more reviews and coverage of comics and graphic novels from Lion Forge. All issues of Cloudia & Rex are now available as a full graphic novel, direct from Lion Forge or a shop near you.

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  • Carrie McClain is writer, editor and media scholar. Other times she's known as a Starfleet Communications Officer, Comics Auntie, and Golden Saucer Frequenter. Nowadays you can usually find her avoiding Truck-kun and forgetting her magical girl transformation device. She/Her

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