Review – Burning Fields #7 (of 8) (BOOM! Studios)

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer(s): Michael Moreci, Tim Daniel
Artist: Colin Lorimer
Release Date: 19th August, 2015

As this gripping story nears its conclusion, Moreci and Daniel allow us a brief moment of contemplation. A deep, cleansing breath before the final plunge. Well, almost. See, when we left things in the previous issue of BOOM! Studios’ Burning Fields, things weren’t going so well for Dana and Abad. Decker and his corrupt, immoral PMC had taken the final step towards literally becoming the monsters they were always portrayed as, making for another gripping, nerve-shredded moment in a series that has been defined by its gripping, nerve-shredding moments.

Once again the “spoiler filter” is firmly in place, so I’m not going to delve too deeply into the events of this issue, but as you can see from the art preview below, the tension is ratcheted all the way up as our ‘heroes’ find themselves fighting for their lives. The cinematic layouts and smooth, fluid storytelling keep everything moving forwards here, and artist Colin Lorimer’s avoidance of unnecessary background noise brings the shocking detail of the attack right to the foreground, right into our faces.

During the course of this penultimate issue, both of our main protagonists are given one last blast of character development, one last layer of the onion to be peeled away. For Aban, it’s all about his family, the loyalty and the love that keeps him going. For Dana, it’s her past, her ruthless, some would say unforgivable actions and the hate that keeps her going. Both have been built up beautifully over the preceding six issues, each portrayed with depth and balance. No one-dimensional, cookie-cutter characters here. No siree, not on Michael and Tim’s watch. The result of this approach is a sense of genuine investment as we near our finale; a testament to the skill of the two writers, and also to the eight-issue length of the series. Nothing has felt rushed here, nor has it felt slow or drawn-out. Everything has been given time to develop gradually, organically, and it has been an absolute joy to watch unfold.

Honestly, it’s becoming something of a challenge to churn our new superlatives for this series on a monthly basis, but let’s start by ticking off the boxes, shall we? Tim Daniel and Michael Moreci are an insanely talented writing partnership? Check. Colin Lorimer is churning our career-best work here, time and time again? Check. If you’ve been following my reviews of the previous issues, you know the score by now.

Cards on the table time, folks… if 2015 ended today, Burning Fields would be my comic of the year. It’s that good. If you’re not reading it by now, then – okay – it’s probably not the best time for you to jump on board, but you damn well better make sure to pick up the trade when it’s released. This is a story that grabs you by the throat and shakes before dragging you down into a murky, violent and supernaturally charged mire of oil and blood. Unmissable in every sense of the word.

Now… bring me that finale.

Rating: 5/5.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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