To be honest, I was not looking forward to this issue at all. A continuation of #16’s drug-induced dream/nightmare trip, I was kind of dreading this book plunging farther into darkness (something that’s been happening gradually since the start of the third arc with issue #7, & to me, hasn’t let up enough for the title to stay enjoyable since).

So I was really surprised when I closed this issue & immediately thought, POTW. I’m not sure if it’s entirely quantifiable, why this issue works so well, but…

Gianfelice’s Bélit seems the most accurate to me since Cloonan’s and Harren’s arcs. She comes off as strong & sexy & can be fierce, but never looks haggard in any panel. Likewise, Conan rides the line well between Cloonan’s lithe youth & some of the more recent & more traditional takes. The art here is really enjoyable — & while I’ve liked many of the artists since, this is the first that gave me the feeling from the initial few arcs.

Story-wise, Wood brings back the dynamic push & pull of young emotion — tempered a little now, but there once more — that was so strong at the book’s start. And Wood perfectly nails in this issue a storytelling device that adds so much interest into an issue that could have easily just been a retrospective on the previous arcs: He not only switches time & location with the irrationality of a dream world, but he also plays with whose dream vision we are seeing at any point in the story. Sometimes the perspective even seems to shift mid-sequence or at a page turn — and it becomes an excellent thesis on the differing viewpoints, narratives, guilts, & emotions of these two characters. It taps into that fear & reality of a young love, the fear of not knowing the other’s commitment, their stance in the relationship, their emotions or lack thereof.

So, this wasn’t the lighthearted romp I had been feeling was necessary for the title to “clear the air” a bit — but it ended up being something much more powerful & subtly insightful. It’s brought me back to the fold.