It’s the final issue in what has been a stellar story arc. Brik has had undertones of some of the best that comic book land had to offer in the eighties. It’s dark, gritty, real and honest. A welcome throwback to when comic books provided social commentary and gave you a glimpse at the world from the perspective of an outsider and often an oppressed group.

Writers Michael Benson and Adam Glass have given us a consistent story that we could get behind, main characters we could root for because of their imperfections, and humanity and villains that we feared and were intrigued by. I hate to see them go but I couldn’t wait to see how they would bring this storyline to a close.

I think that is an issue you need to read for yourself in order to fully appreciate the pure genius and kick ass storytelling that the Brik team has pulled off. Benson and Glass closed out this arc and I’m legit praying that this is just the end of the arc and not the series because I’m hooked, with one hell of a bang. There’s double crosses, sneaky tricks, moral ambiguity, characters not being who you think they are and heroes, or anti-heroes, rising where you least expect them.

Harwinder Singh‘s artwork continues to give us all the grit and realness that’s story like this needs and deserves. Every panel becomes a piece of the tale being told and has the look of a movie story board allowing you to picture things that are happening and suck you into the comic.

There are no gimmicks, cheesy unnecessary plot twists, or unrealistic speeches in this issue. Every panel and word is crafted in a way that evokes emotion but doesn’t feel cheap or manufactured. The story as a whole has evolved organically and it’s nice to see that creators chose to keep that organic style of storytelling when it came to closing out this arc.

There are aha moments that creep up early into (and on the later pages of) this issue but they don’t feel like a trick. The writing leading up to, and inside of, this issue had us so engrossed in the story that yeah we should have seen some of these things coming but we didn’t because we felt like we were a part of the story. There were no tropes or red herrings in this issue, just good old fashioned comic book storytelling and an arc so tight that you got just as wrapped up in it as Sebastian did in the Neverending Story.

Issue #6 not only gave Brik a soul but it gave the story one too and I really hope this isn’t the end of the line because I’m beyond hooked and am open to all of the possibilities that this issue proposed. I even appreciated the epilogue that followed the big showdown between the big bad guy and our reluctant and new hero. I could legit hear the end credit music playing as I looked at the beautiful panels and read the words.

Overall issue #6 ended this arc with a bang and I can’t wait for them to reload the gun and give us another shot!

Story: Michael Benson and Adam Glass Art: Harwinder Singh
Story: 9.8 Art: 9.7 Overall: 9.9 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

It’s the final countdown for this arc of the comic series Brik. Four issues behind us and only one more after this to finish the story of our young “hero” Drew and his faithful Golem Brik. Issue #4 ended with Little Stalin about to go gangsta on the neighborhood to crush the hope that Brik has given them. Drew is feeling himself and all about rocking his black hoodie and riding off into the night on Brik’s back to deliver street justice to any bad guy he comes in contact with.

Brik #5 is all about consequences and cause and effect. Drew’s actions in the last issue has Little Stalin and his minions out for blood and they’re taking no prisoners as they set out to squash the rebellion in the neighborhood. We see Drew get his first kiss and it was cute, not forced, age appropriate, and actually showed a bit of consent and questioning. Sera returns, meets Brik and reminds Drew of the rules. Unfortunately, by the time she gets Drew to do right by the Brik, Little Stalin and his boys are blowing things up an about to hold a public execution in the middle of the streets of Yonkers.

As usual, the writing is on point. Drew acts exactly how you’d expect a kid with a Golem to act. The interactions between him and the other adults in this comic book series are real and intuitive. Brik comes off as a well written tv show and the art keeps pace with the story. With one issue left in this series arc, I’m shivering with antici—-pay—tion waiting to see how this all wraps up. This was a placeholder issue but, unlike the usual placeholder issues it had meat. It was a well-drawn, compelling read that made me not only enjoy the issue I was reading but, call back to the previous issues and look forward to The finale.

Issue five ends with an edge of your seat cliffhanger that doesn’t feel gimmicky or forced. The organic progression of the series means that this issue is everything that you need it to be with a nice push to make it even more than you expected.

Story: Michael Benson and Adam Glass Art: Harwinder Singh
Story: 8.6 Art: 8.4 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review