REVIEW: The Wake, #10

[CBR News]

"The Wake" #10 brings together everything previously laid out by Scott Snyder in past issues, revealing a far larger and surprisingly epic story that's nicely wrapped up and magnificently chronicled by Sean Murphy.


Full review here.

[Cryptid]

I liked the second-act transition between claustrophobic horror and panoramic adventure, but I'm not sold on this final transformation from a thriller plot into an uplifting mystical fable about the human spirit. The closing monologue, in which the heroine decides that the creatures who drowned human civilization have in fact kept us in touch with our aspirational nature, abandons any kind of suspense in favor of inspirational treacle. For a story that begins soundly in the domain of weird fiction, with a plot that makes the world indifferent and even hostile to human values, it's disappointing to see that weird atmosphere explained away so completely at the conclusion with a mythology driven by self-help.

I enjoyed this series as it was going along, but this ending leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Too much nutrition and pandering.

[Jack00]

I didn't understand a damn thing of this issue, doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the serie at all :s I'm disappointed.

[horst]

just made me appreciate how good Neil Gaiman really is

[GusCandle]

I didn't understand a damn thing of this issue, doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the serie at all :s I'm disappointed.

I'm sure to be in the minority here, but this series went downhill fast, although it took me until #10 to realize how far. The first arc was great; I wasn't sold on the 200-year jump, but I was willing to go on the ride from #6 on. It got murkier and murkier from there. The art was terrific, and Snyder is a great writer, but his *plotting* can be atrocious.

How many Batman arcs can he write with epic set-ups and no actual resolution? (Court of Owls and Death of the Family, I'm looking at you.) Part of that is the peril of working in monthly comics for one of the Big Two, but part seems to be a collective decision on the part of comic reviewers to ignore that the Emperor is wearing no clothes.

Back to The Wake, and #10 specifically: The Wake was given a resolution of a sort; it was just lousy. This site, and several others, seem to fall back on the argument that "If you don't like it, you don't get it." That's circular reasoning; it doesn't work for Aronofsky, and it doesn't work here.

This last issue was composed almost entirely of actionless exposition, a lackluster attempt -- at the 11th hour -- to explain everything that had gone before, most of which was at right angles from itself. If this was a movie or a novel, people would rip it for being horribly structured. But wait, you might say, this isn't a movie or a novel! It's a comic. Ah, but storytelling is storytelling.

And maybe this review had a point: clues *were* probably buried occasionally throughout #1-#9 that pay off somewhat in #10, clues which got lost with month-long waits between issues. But nothing in issues 7-10 was interesting enough to make me go back and seek them out.

I'm angry about how this ended, and about the $30 bucks I spent over the course of the last year only to be so nonplussed by the sloppy, slapdash ending. If you think it makes sense, I guess I can't defy you and say you don't realy understand what you say you understand. But let's not call it good storytelling, at least not structurally.

The Emperor is wearing no clothes, folks. His junk is right there, floppin' around in plain view. It's ugly, yes, but you must see it, too.

[InformationGeek]

The clues were there and stuff. Going back and rereading sections of the series (the first half has a lot of reference to the past and the future that really do tie into the ending), so the ending is completely nonsensical. Hecking, knowing how this series and actually does explain a lot of things we saw in the first half.

The problem is though... I think we got the UFO Ending to this comic instead of the good ending. I was rather underwhelmed and I'm probably the only critic who thinks that (I say the issue is a 7.5 out of 10).

I think the drastic change in genres at the end, how confusing the ending was (rereading does help a bit though), how lacking it is in character and emotion, no action or excitement, and the ending being rather dark despite how uplifting it is (the moon blew up people! Moon size chunks may heading your way! Also, waves and current are all messed up!). I have no problem with a happy ending, but the way that comic went about it was lackluster. The writing mechanics here are good for the most part and the artwork is an absolute treat if I do say so.

However, I dunno, just so underwhelming. It needed more pages and a stronger climax without a doubt.

[Dyljitsu]

Thank God all of you are echoing the same sentiments as myself. Reading this review and a few select others made me start to doubt the 3/5 rating I gave it for my review column. I started to wonder if I was really missing something.

You guys have all already hit the head on the nail so there isn't much more to add. The issue is 90% exposition and 10% action in the present moment. The stuff that occurs in the present isn't overly exciting and astoundingly average in all honesty. I got to the part where they reveal the "torture chamber" like apparatus and just rolled my eyes. It just feels like ever since issue six this series has been running downhill. The first five issues were absolutely superb and I was willing to give the genre shift a shot but I just feel cheated now after finally finishing the series. The big twist ending had no shock value as it just came off as confusing. Murphy was fantastic on art but as GusCandle pointed out Snyder seems to just have a habit of writing underwhelming conclusions. Just last week his Zero Year arc ended on Batman and I felt the same way I do now. Something about the way the guy writes endings is just tragic. His build up far exceeds the actual payoff.

I'll just about always pick up a #1 with Snyder's name on it but lately I'm becoming more and more apprehensive about picking up Snyder written finales. Maybe the story will read better in trade though...here's hoping it does.

[InformationGeek]

Just last week his Zero Year arc ended on Batman and I felt the same way I do now. Something about the way the guy writes endings is just tragic. His build up far exceeds the actual payoff.

Personally, I thought the ending of Zero Year was great and very satisfying. Same with Swamp Thing (not the end issue of Rotworld, the epilogue and Snyder' final issue).

[Aquadoc]

Have to admit that I was a little confused by the ending, but I really need to go back and read this from the beginning since I've read like a million other comics between issues. For those of you who didn't like it, maybe go go back and do the same...perhaps it will read better and/or make sense if read all together?

[Billy Batson]

So is this a flop like every other Snyder ending? Pls no spoilers.

[skyjumpermike]

So is this a flop like every other Snyder ending? Pls no spoilers.

Chances are, no one can explain the ending to you anyway.

[InformationGeek]

Chances are, no one can explain the ending to you anyway.

Basically, humans are the aliens, the mers are the evolved natives of the planet. The human species "seeds" a planet with it's evolutionary ancestors, waits for it's creatures to evolve to a similar evolutionary level to themselves (essentially 'terraforming' the planet and proving it hospitable), then returns to wipe out the 'seeded' creatures and takes their place. Part of the "human biology" makes tears act like a gradual memory wipe (note both Leeward and Archer during the series can't cry and have to periodically moisten their eyes), so the species won't remember the horrible things it does to survive and basically implode. The mers are simply trying to take back what's theirs and remind everyone of their origins.

[The Odd Man]

The finale made me wish I'd skipped the entire series and just watched WATERWORLD again.

Yeah, you heard me!

[Big Geek]

I have to echo most of the sentiments posted thus far. I normally love Snyder's work and as good as this series started off I felt the payoff was rather disappointing.

Not Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls bad but kind of in that same vein of disappointment.

Oh well, even Babe Ruth struck out once in a while.

[Wayward]

The finale made me wish I'd skipped the entire series and just watched WATERWORLD again.

Yeah, you heard me!

^This

Seriously though...long time reader, first time I really felt I needed to comment. I LOVE Murphy's artwork but the plotting/pacing was a train wreck in #8-10. This series could have easily gone 20+ issues and they tried to tie it up in 3 (mostly 2). Disappointing. Unsure of the 'masterpiece' most reviewers are finding in The Wake.