REVIEW: Fear Agent #32

Fear Agent #32

Writer: Rick Remender
Penciller: Mike Hawthorne & Tony Moore
Inker: John Lucas

$3.50 – Dark Horse Comics

This is by far one of the hardest reviews I’ve ever had to write at iFanboy. So hard, that I’ve wrestled with what to write for days now.  What is being presented as a review, is really an eulogy for a comic book that is not just one of my favorites, but a shared favorite amongst my partners, Josh and Conor, as well as the majority of the iFanboy staff.  Over the past 5 years, Fear Agent has been so universally accepted, enjoyed and praised by all of us, it’s one of those comics that I think of when people ask why we do iFanboy. Fear Agent has been one of those comics that will always have a special place in all of our hearts.

And yet today, with the release of Fear Agent #32, it all comes to an end.

For those unaware, the titles of the story arcs of Fear Agent are all music references to songs by hardcore/punk bands (for example this last story arc, Out of Step, is also the name of a song by Minor Threat). I can’t help but to look at this final issue as I would look at the final album of one of my favorite bands. Is it a piece of work that embodies and encompasses all the work that’s come before it? Is it something that I can enjoy with pride, looking back on all the great times we had? Or is it a pale, last gasp of something that should have ended long before it’s release? Luckily Fear Agent #32, despite the long wait, completely delivered a fitting end to the series that we all have grown to love so much.

As Rick Remender, Tony Moore and Mike Hawthorne began this final arc, I wondered, “How is it all going to end?” One of the aspects of Fear Agent that made it so compelling to me was that through the lens of genre storytelling (pulpy sci-fi, sometimes western, etc), at it’s core we had the story of Heath Huston, a very flawed man who was just fighting for his place in the world and to try and set things right. It’s a universal feeling for those of us who have had life’s challenges presented to us and have been forced to make choices. Sure, it may involve rocketships and aliens and blasters, but at the end of the day, it was incredibly human and relatable. So I wondered if Remender would deliver us an ending for Heath that would be tragic and sad, or would it be a fulfilling, resolved ending?

I kind of feel bad for Remender, Hawthorne and Moore because an ending to a series must be incredibly difficult.  We’ve seen it in the past in such beloved comics as Strangers In Paradise, Preacher, Y: The Last Man and numerous others.  These incredible journeys and connections we make with these fictional characters can become intense, and the last moments, the last panels of that last issue become so incredibly loaded and heavy, as if our entire experience with the comic rest on these last pages.

I’m happy to report that Fear Agent #32 ended in a way that both surprised me and left me a little bit speechless. It’s not often in life that we have the opportunity to set things right and to fully realize the chance to do right by those you care about most. Fear Agent #32 was able to wrap up the saga of Heath Huston and the struggle of the Fear Agent in a way that was honest and true to the spirt of the series and at the same time leaves us, as readers, with a feeling of optimism and accomplishment.  It’s this shared feeling that leaves us happy for Heath Huston, as well as his creators for reaching the finish line of this labor of love.  And in reaching that finish line, we’re treated to the amazing art of Tony Moore and Mike Hawthorne, working in tandem to produce one of the most visually compelling books on the racks.

When you look at the world of comics today and see that the list of best selling/top creators include the names of Rick Remender, Tony Moore and Jerome Opena, it doesn’t come as a surprise to me. Years ago, we saw the passion and talent oozing from every page of Fear Agent, that we could do nothing but rave about it. I couldn’t help but think as  I read Fear Agent #32, just how far these creators have come. Artistically, Moore, Opena and Hawthorne have grown to be masters at their craft. But Remender’s growth as a writer is incredibly apparent, just from reading this issue alone. Luckily, the comic industry took notice and now we get to see crazy stories of mutants and alien symbiotes by these talented creators.  But we will always know that it was Fear Agent where they came together and created something special.

I hate saying goodbye to a good thing, but when it’s a book like Fear Agent, which delivered time and time again, I can’t help but tip my hat to Rick Remender, Tony Moore , Jerome Opena, Mike Hawthorne and the other immensely talented creators who pitched in to create one of my favorite comics of all times.  Fear Agent #32 is the book that I never wanted to review. I never wanted it to end. But if it has to end, I can’t think of a better way to go out than riding into the sunset with Fear Agent #32.

 Story: 5 / Art: 5 / Overall: 5

(Out of 5 stars)

PS – If you still haven’t checked out Fear Agent, all the previously released trades are in print and available at Amazon. Do yourself a favor, try Fear Agent Vol. 1 and just get a taste of what all the praise is about.