Final Boss
Creative Team
writer: TYLER KIRKHAM
illustrator: TYLER KIRKHAM, IFAN NOOR, DAVID MILLER
publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Final Boss is a love letter to the 80s-90s arcade fighter. Inspired explicitly by Mortal Kombat and Streets of Rage, Tyler Kirkham, as both writer and illustrator, gives readers an amazing take on the EXTREME vibe that we were getting from the era.
If you enjoy spectacle, action, violence and sick fire powers without too much required thought, then this is the book for you.
Volume 1, consisting of issues 1-5, follows Special ops Tommy Brazen as he joins a tournament on a mysterious island that his grandfather discovered in WW2 hoping to find answers regarding his father’s disappearance. Tommy and his childhood friend Rabak embark, encountering this new environment along with new challenges as they go. Assisted with newfound power from a familiar place Tommy's here for answers and he's bashing heads until he finds them.
The comic follows a lot of the traditional stylings from pre-2000s era comics which can take some getting used to.
Something unique is that each issue is treated like a level within an old school beat 'em up, with some having brawls and others even having dedicated boss fights with stats and a FIGHT screen along with a TOMMY BRAZEN WINS end card.
The plot can take a backseat at times to the visuals, sometimes feeling a bit like an afterthought. Readers are given dense amounts of info via what can be considered wordy exposition.
This overall approach to storytelling prevents a pacing problem, being “written for the trade.” The kind of decompression that leaves readers unsatisfied with single issues, feeling like they can't be enjoyed on their own, is absent and the consistent quick action is welcome.
Tommy's background as a Spec Ops is important but not central to his character so we are given this plot point via his narration rather than dedicating important page time to this. Having dense amounts of text, similar to Claremont era X-Men, feeds the nostalgia base this book is built upon.
The overall story can feel a little flimsy with certain things like Tommy's Power UPs feeling mysterious, but in a way that leaves the reader reaching for a question rather than excited for a reveal. There are also times where we must be reminded of what we are working towards but the action itself justifies the sometimes clumsy storyline like Tommy's fathers disappearance, feeling like it could've been handled a bit more organically. This doesn't hinder the experience especially once expectations have already been tempered overall.
Kirkham has a wonderful handle on what makes this kind of story work, which is simplicity. Characters are taken for what they are in most cases, not requiring deep explanations or motivations for them to serve the story. Tommy is a character who, in another world, would be played by prime Kurt Russell. He's a badass and one that knows he's a badass, with his best friend Rabak acting as a voice for Tommy to bounce off of. These characters benefit from being what they need to be, which is fighting game characters you would read the bio of before picking them to play as.
As a whole Final Boss is an amazing romp for those looking for stunning art, kinetic action and nostalgic love for a bygone era. A popcorn flick in the best way
