The Fate Of The Otherworld – By Night #12 Reviewed
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Chet Charles has returned, and he plans to destroy the Otherworld with the help of Gramercy. Gardt followed Chet, and he plans to kill him before that can happen. However, Chet Charles has found the Eidolon completely destroyed, and Chip and Heather are clueless on how that happened. Gramercy says he has schematics on how to build another one, but the old doctor seems to be up to something else. Plus, Gardt’s brother Klay is getting restless.
By Night #12 brings the Boom! Studios maxiseries to an end, with Chet Charles back and ready to destroy the Otherworld in its entirety. Heather, Jane, Chip, and Barney are unaware of the whole ordeal, with Gardt and Klay being the Otherworld’s only remaining hope.
Weirdly enough, that plot, which has little to actually do with our main cast of four, transpires without them and ends about halfway into the book. The remainder takes place after a one-year time jump.
Without spoiling too much, the one-year time jump shows us how everything turns out. We get to see what happens to Spectrum and our main characters. The book, at its heart, is about Heather and Jane, where their lives are headed, and what will become of the dying town of Spectrum.
The ending, debatably, has some downer elements to it too. It’s now all happiness and things working out; Spectrum changes in ways that aren’t entirely positive. The comic even implies that Gardt and Klay may be right for wanting to kill Chet Charles.
Christine Larsen’s artwork continues to be the creatively cute lynch pin that holds By Night together. That said, the comic gets dark and even a bit gory at times. There are moments that are quite grisly, and Larsen renders those well too. Sarah Stern gives the book well-balanced and deep color palette, and it brings the aesthetic of the comic together well.
By Night #12 brings the series to a complex and heartfelt end. We get to see the fate of the Otherworld, how our surviving characters turn out, and a deeper look into Gardt and Klay. This was a strong series, and it’s stuck the landing with its conclusion. This one gets a recommendation. Check it out.
By Night #12 comes to us from writer John Allison, artist and cover artist Christine Larsen, color artist and variant cover artist Sarah Stern, and letterer Jim Campbell.
Final Score: 8.5/10
