Comic Review: Penny Dreadful: The Awakening #2.8

Synopsis: An ill wind blows through the streets of London…

Lucifer’s minions are running amok in the streets of London, and nowhere is safe. Desperate to regroup and understand what is happening, Ethan and cat must get answers from Mr. Renfield, by any means possible…

For Lily, the time to hesitate is past… She must decide on which side she will fight, and which of the two men she ha loved in her time on Earth will have her loyalty…

Review: Penny Dreadful: The Awakening #2.8 concluded the current arc of the story. Some characters’ paths were affirmed, and some characters’ paths were resolved. In each case, I was struck by how comforting internal logic can be, even when the heroes were in a tight spot. What happened needed to happen. Nothing felt forced.

I was particularly impressed with how writer Chris King handled Dorian Gray’s story. From the beginning of the Penny Dreadful television series through this issue of the comic, Dorian’s perception of himself and his place in the world has slowly evolved. I’m just sorry that evolution couldn’t play out on screen.

Indeed, this issue would have lent itself to retroactive screen adaptation. It was very visual and visceral. As usual, the art by Jesus Hervas and the coloring by Jason Wordie were very evocative. I particularly liked their efforts to convey our heroes’ struggle to escape the river, the interaction between Lily and Dorian, and the fateful meeting between Lucifer and Ethan.

Penny Dreadful: The Awakening #2.8 was the best issue of the series to date. Moreover, I’ll reiterate what I wrote when I began reviewing the Penny Dreadful comic. John Logan’s assertion that the story was complete with Vanessa Ives’ death was utter hogwash. The television series’ end was simply one more case of production issues trumping narrative.

Written by

Chris King

Art by

Jesus Hervas

Colored by

Jason Wordie

Cover by

Adam Cadwell

Published by

Titan Comics