“Hero” reaches its thrilling endgame in Livewire #12!

With the whole country watching, Livewire is targeted by a trusted confidant, will she remain America’s Most Wanted?

The climactic final chapter building since Secret Weapons and through Harbinger Wars 2 is finally here!

With Livewire #12 Vita Ayala makes the bold decision to have the finale be a much more cerebral affair than your typical run of the mill finales. While there is tension within the comic, it’s not of the physical kind; instead, Ayala weaves a level of intensity through Livewire’s internal narration and the dialogue that borders on thriller level as the machinations of certain characters are teased.

Initially, the ending might seem somewhat underwhelming, and I understand that point of view, but I found it more interesting than reading about Livewire fighting her way through security defenses and the like. The wrapping up of the story in this way is immensely satisfying; there are very few loose ends left after twelve issues, and Livewire is positioned very well for the next person to take on the character.

Although Ayala has scripted an interesting and compelling tale about Livewire, there’s no denying that they were left with an… interesting place to begin after the events of Harbinger Wars II. While Livewire’s actions were extreme in that story, it’s refreshing that they weren’t just swept away as the world moved on (while there may be some who choose to ignore Harbinger Wars II, this series will at the very least serve as the epilogue).

I’ve enjoyed the political spin of this comic. When I say that, I’m not saying that no other comics are political, but rather that I enjoyed the way this comic treats politics, politicians and the process of an election. It’s probably not utterly accurate, but at least from my understanding, it’s pretty close (the huge caveat there is that I am an Englishman living in Canada, so I’m not all that familiar with the way senate elections actually work).

This series has served in many ways to recenter Amanda McKee and deal with how her actions have impacted the general public, as well as the psiot herself. With the political background of the final arc, Ayala’s taken an interesting path to Livewire’s redemption – and it’s well worth reading if you like a little bit of the political process with your comics.

Livewire #12 specifically, though, is a strong book. Both as the finale and as a standalone comic. Ayala comes out of this series on a high note, and I am sure that their star will continue to shine in comics.

Story: Vita Ayala Art: Tana Ford
Colorist: Kelly Fitzpatrick Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Story: 8.6 Art: 7.1 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review