Wow, talk about a series getting better with each issue. Eight Billion Genies #4 is an amazing end to the first chapter of this epic story as it teases what’s to come. The concept for the series is simple. In an instant, every person in the world is given a genie and granted one wish. You can imagine the chaos that would ensue from that. A group of individuals are protected within a bar and the series focuses on them as the world spirals out of control.

Writer Charles Soule lays it all out in Eight Billion Genies #4. We learn the truth about the bar and what’s going on. And it’s very interesting. The series quickly pivots to one of goofy infinite possibilities to something else entirely. This isn’t just some random event, there’s logic behind it and what is learned is epic in the implications in both the past and the future to come. Soule is delivering something more than just a story of survival, and like Undiscovered Country co-written with Scott Snyder, Eight Billion Genies now feels like a series that is exploring so much more. It has deep themes and a goal to explore humanity.

The art by Ryan Browne continues to be amazing. Browne takes the anything is possible and somehow makes it focused. It’d be easy for the art to pack in too much with so much going on, but Browne keeps the visual focused. This is an issue with superheroes, a twisted world, kaiju, and average folks in a bar. But Browne’s art keeps it all feeling cohesive and as if it all fits together. It’s interesting in how both Soule and Browne show restraint with a story that can be so much.

The first four issues of Eight Billion Genies is about the first eight weeks. The series now pivots to the next eight months. We’ve already seen the chaos that has ensued and now we get to see what might be the possibilities to come. But, despite that world of possible, it all comes back to a small group in a bar. The series is focused on the impact of a world gone crazy instead of the crazy itself. And that’s what helps make this one of the best new series of the year.

Story: Charles Soule Art: Ryan Browne
Color: Ryan Browne Letterer: Chris Crank
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology/Kindle

There’s something just utterly insane about this series and Eight Billion Genies #3 just amplifies it. In an instant, every person in the world gets a genie granting them one wish. You can imagine the chaos that follows as individuals wish away changing themselves, the world, reality, and more. The series focuses things down a bit on a group of individuals protected within a bar who have to figure out what to do next as the world around them constantly shifts.

Written by Charles Soule, Eight Billion Genies #3 is another fantastic issue. As happened in the previous issue, it opens showing us one of the wishes. It’s actually one of the more altruistic ones which is a stark contrast to so much that happens later in the issue.

But where this series has been amazing is the fact that it focuses on so few characters. Things are absolutely chaos in the world but we get a half dozen or so individuals hold up in a bar dealing with the change.

The issue veers off a bit focusing on Wang who has set off on a quest to get to the bar he and his wife originally wanted to go. We now know why and that story gets a bit deeper than was expected.

We also get to learn more about the rules of the world, such as wishing for the return of an individual. This has some pretty big ramifications for at least one wish already and that creates some intriguing decisions. By the end of the issue, we get an intriguing direction for the next arc of the series as the chaos expands and we get to see a “normal” begin to take shape.

The art by Ryan Browne continues to be great. With lettering by Chris Crank, the series has a kinetic feel that matches the insanity of the world. The story is not just driven by these individuals but all of the small details that are thrown onto every page and every panel. Those details tell as much of the story as anything else. What’s impressive is everything is completely insane but still feels grounded in a weird way. The team makes it work. Crank’s lettering adds the emotional punch that really brings home the moment.

Eight Billion Genies #3 is another fantastic issue of a series that has infinite possibilities. Literally, anything can happen. But, even with that, the team keeps things focused and don’t let their ideas get out of hand. So much is packed in but it’s never overwhelming or distracts. Each issue has been amazing at its focus and constraint while also delivering the unexpected.

Story: Charles Soule Art: Ryan Browne
Color: Ryan Browne Letterer: Chris Crank
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology/Kindle

“Kinetic”. Does it make sense to call a comic that? Eight Billion Genies #2 continues to entertain and make you think with it’s brilliant concept and excellent execution. The first issue had a genie appear for every person in the world. Each granted one wish. Imagine the chaos that would ensure. That’s part of what the series explores as well as a group of individuals attempting to survive the chaos.

Written by Charles Soule, Eight Billion Genies #2 delivers an interesting follow up to the chaotic debut. Focused on a group of individuals in a bar, we get a sense of more of the rules of the wishes. The genies are happy to talk with their individuals explaining some of the details of what’s going on, for instance if two wishes cancel each other out. We also get a sense there’s far more going on than just this random concept. The genies all seem to have opinions about the use of the wishes, as if they’re judging humanity. There’s something ominous to it all, like this is a test for something larger.

It’s the details that Soule brings that stand out. There’s the chaos of the events but the logic of the genies and the characters as well as their emotional reactions to what’s going on is what sucks you in. In a world where the impossible is possible, it all seems so grounded, focused, and relatable. It feel very much like what might really happen. The detail extends to the opening where we get to see how others react to what’s going on and a population count of the genies and the world. We get a sense of the amount of death this is all causing, an interesting point that’s hopefully addresses later.

The art by Ryan Browne is fantastic. With lettering by Chris Crank, the comic’s look pops. There’s a fantastic mix of the utter insanity outside the bar and the much more grounded world within. It feels like a zombie film in some ways but much more colorful and not as sad and depressing. The bar might be normal but the world outside is full of rainbows, car robots, castles, and so much more. Browne makes it all seem normal and fits together.

Eight Billion Genies #2 is a fantastic second issue because of its focus. It could easily get caught up in the insanity but its the focus on the characters and their reactions that make the comic work so well. Like The Walking Dead, it’s about the people, their interactions, and their reactions to a world of chaos. And like that series, it’s what makes the comic stand out and one to not miss.

Story: Charles Soule Art: Ryan Browne
Color: Ryan Browne Letters: Chris Crank
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

“Kinetic”. Does it make sense to call a comic that? Eight Billion Genies #2 continues to entertain and make you think with it’s brilliant concept and excellent execution. The first issue had a genie appear for every person in the world. Each granted one wish. Imagine the chaos that would ensure. That’s part of what the series explores as well as a group of individuals attempting to survive the chaos.

Written by Charles Soule, Eight Billion Genies #2 delivers an interesting follow up to the chaotic debut. Focused on a group of individuals in a bar, we get a sense of more of the rules of the wishes. The genies are happy to talk with their individuals explaining some of the details of what’s going on, for instance if two wishes cancel each other out. We also get a sense there’s far more going on than just this random concept. The genies all seem to have opinions about the use of the wishes, as if they’re judging humanity. There’s something ominous to it all, like this is a test for something larger.

It’s the details that Soule brings that stand out. There’s the chaos of the events but the logic of the genies and the characters as well as their emotional reactions to what’s going on is what sucks you in. In a world where the impossible is possible, it all seems so grounded, focused, and relatable. It feel very much like what might really happen. The detail extends to the opening where we get to see how others react to what’s going on and a population count of the genies and the world. We get a sense of the amount of death this is all causing, an interesting point that’s hopefully addresses later.

The art by Ryan Browne is fantastic. With lettering by Chris Crank, the comic’s look pops. There’s a fantastic mix of the utter insanity outside the bar and the much more grounded world within. It feels like a zombie film in some ways but much more colorful and not as sad and depressing. The bar might be normal but the world outside is full of rainbows, car robots, castles, and so much more. Browne makes it all seem normal and fits together.

Eight Billion Genies #2 is a fantastic second issue because of its focus. It could easily get caught up in the insanity but its the focus on the characters and their reactions that make the comic work so well. Like The Walking Dead, it’s about the people, their interactions, and their reactions to a world of chaos. And like that series, it’s what makes the comic stand out and one to not miss.

Story: Charles Soule Art: Ryan Browne
Color: Ryan Browne Letters: Chris Crank
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology/Kindle