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COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews The Movement #12

May 8th, 2014 by Irwin Fletcher Comments

Written by Gail Simone

Art by Freddie Williams II

Published by DC Comics

To say that The Movement is ending before its time doesn’t quite do justice to a series that’s unlike anything being put out by any of the major publishers. In issue #12, the last issue of the book, is the apex of The Movement’s ongoing battle not only against a city that isn’t prepared for them, but against the Cornea Killer. The group’s last story is actually told as a flashback from Virtue as she is trying desperately to make a human connection with Captain Meers, the only member of an extremely corrupt police force that she seems to be able to trust. So will our heroes get the happy ending they so righteously deserve? A better question still…will Gail Simone be able to give the team, this book, and its fans the ending they all deserve? Stay tuned folks! I guess we’ll see!

The answers to the questions above aren’t quite as easily answered. This issue is easily one of my favorites in the twelve issue run, but I can’t say that this is the ending we deserve mostly because this book doesn’t deserve the fate it’s been given. In no way is that a reflection of the absolutely amazing job that Gail Simone has done in tasking herself with making us care about a group of characters in a universe filled with the most recognizable names in not only comics, but in much of popular culture as a whole. I’m not sure that it was symbolism that Gail was aiming for, but I can’t help but see the similarities between the dreams between Virtue and the dreams of Ms. Simone herself. Both of them are swinging for the fences, trying to make the world around them to not only accept The Movement into the fold, but to change what the social norm is surrounding a book such as this. Ultimately The Movement didn’t change the entire landscape of comics the way some of us had hoped, but you can tell Gail Simone absolutely poured her heart and soul into making it the best series that she possibly could. She may not have changed the entire landscape of our medium, but I know that this book changed me as a reader and changed the way I relate to the books I read all while giving me action, adventure, humor, diversity, love, hope, and pretty much any other aspect you could want from a comic. For all of those things and so much more, I’ll miss The Movement a great deal and I hope that this end isn’t truly the end for this team and its characters I’ve grown to love so much.

Freddie Williams II did as much to make me love this series as Gail Simone did with his wonderful art. This last issue is beautifully tragic from the big, beautiful splash pages of Virtue cluing us in on her goals in the long run to the smaller, and much more quiet and personal moments that the members of the team share together. For all of the reasons I love the writing in this book, those feelings are only amplified by the perfect job Mr. Williams II did in conveying those moments into each and every panel. I really hope to see his work pop up in the DCU again very, very soon; hopefully with some of the characters in this book involved.

If you can’t tell, I’m not ready for this to be the end. Not only does DC need a book like this in publication, but the medium in general needs it as well. This issue as the end is satisfying in that it wraps up all of the open storylines well, but I would love to see more of this team. Hopefully they’ll pop up again in another book with Gail at the helm!

5 out of 5 nerds

I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.