Critiquing Action Fantasy #3: Necrosha X Finale

It's been awhile, but I'm ready to get back to work. So let's wrap up the action analysis of Necrosha X.

One of my major complaints regarding the extreme compression of modern superhero comics is that it glosses over important events in its rush to conclude the story so that another tale can be told. This compression completely ignores the impact of what happens in the story. Ultimately, what could otherwise be an impactful, engaging moment feels like a footnote.

So in the climax of Necrosha X, Selene attains goddess-hood. What are the repercussions of this monumental turn? Well, apparently becoming a goddess gives people a headache:

Notice, however, that this headache only happens to people who use magic. Everyone else at that stadium is fine. Due to the speed at which modern superhero comics go, no one can stop to smell the roses. The nuances of the action are occluded. Instead, Selene's new power should be shown, so that the true consequences of the story thus far can be demonstrated. Showing the reader the full scope of a villain's  power also heightens the stake for the heroes.  This one page is not enough to develop dramatic tension because it is over-reliant on a current reader's understanding of superhero tropes. Because superhero stories have been told many times before, writers can rely on a type of shorthand to give a particular narrative impression. So Selene has achieved her goal, and superhero comic fans know that a final fight is coming. They know what Selene's power was before, and now they know she has achieved some sort of godhood. Therefore, showing one page with a vague effect like a spectral headache can be seen as the narrative bare-minimum effort necessary to establish the narrative moment. This scripting shortcut, however, ignores two factors:

1. Relying on tropes and established superhero stories ignores that new readers will feel lost when the story doesn't take the time to explain important details to them. 
2. Even established readers like to read a story where all of the important details are fleshed out

As explained before, moving a story at a breakneck pace results in the reader having to tell the story themselves, rather than having a storyteller tell the story to them. The reader is left to imagine what kind of effect Selene is having on the world aside from interrupting Dr. Strange's ball game. Don't get me wrong, audience participation through imagination is a core part of the comics medium, but creators must provide enough material so that the gaps between panels and pages is a rewarding experience, not a frustrating one. 

So let's move on the finale. The X-Force, after hilariously painting themselves with Native-American warpaint, are suddenly able to meet Selene on some spiritual plane to do battle with her. Since the focus of my analysis is on the aspects of the action narrative, I'm going to ignore the goldmine of material to look at concerning how this battle is being facilitated. So after causing some migraines, Selene confronts the X-Force. Here we go, final boss time. Selene's goddess powers include being tall and blue. The entirety of Necrosha X has built up to this moment. How long is this final grand finale fight? A total of four pages. 

So in this page, Selene steps down with her big foot, then shrinks herself down for some reason. Also notice that everyone is shrouded in black to a degree that makes it difficult to know which character is which. This is a fairly introduction to a final fight, but the real problem comes from how little payoff is given to the reader in the following three pages. 

The following page is about as exciting as it gets for the fight. This page isn't bad, but it's not great either.

So Selene throws the X-Force around a bit, but notice that the only real things that she attempts here (absorbing Archangel and firing that energy blast) are completely meaningless. If action has very little impact, then the narrative impact is undermined. Sure, Selene is glowing and big, but notice that she's not really doing anything...at all. If this page were only the setup of a longer sequence, this would probably be fine; but in its current state, this page is largely style over substance

So after nothing happens in the previous page, the fight quickly reaches its final moments. This is the point where the action narrative crumbles completely. 

Notice that Warpath needs the other X-Force to hold Selene down so that he can stab her (If it's that simple, why haven't either of the Wolverines already killed her?). Now the reason for Selene shrinking herself down in the first page of the fight becomes clear. If she were enormous, then the X-Force would be hilariously unable to hold her down. But now that she's conveniently smaller, this maneuver is possible, as it is also possible for Warpath to actually reach her in the next page. Once again, this page contains too little and too much. Very little happens in regards to action. Visually speaking, Selene basically stands there. Boring. However, quite a few actions are implied on this page, even though the gaps between each panel cheat the reader out of an engaging experience. Panel four is particularly disappointing, as it implies that the X-Force are simultaneously holding Selene and that she is shaking them off. The resulting effect is weak, leaving too much to the imagination. Instead, one panel should establish that the X-Force are holding Selene, and another should show her struggling to shake them off, ultimately throwing some of them. Do you see what I mean by compression?   

That's basically it. The fourth page of the fight is the end of it. Warpath stabs Selene. Selene explodes. The end.

I have very little else to add when it comes to Necrosha-X, but I do have a few closing remarks. First, although I understand that superhero comics are a serial narrative with certain scheduling and publishing constraints, There must be a conscious effort to develop the action between panels. Simply relying on the fact that superhero fans can slog through a story and fill in the blanks themselves will not generate engaging stories or new readers. Secondly, pushing comics through constant crossover events damages the efficacy of the stories that are told. It damages the tone, action, and most importantly, the enjoyment of these tales. 

It's a waste, really. There is so much potential here to have a great deal of fun. All that is required is the work to flesh it out in more depth and put it on the page.