Woah.
This universe is exhausting.'Valkyrie: Jane Foster, Vol. 2: At the End of All Things' is a worthy sequel to the first 'Valkyrie' volume, which is the only Marvel comic I've ever rated five stars. It is harrowing, and shattering on every cosmic level that can, and does not, and should not, exist. Dealing with themes of death, nothingness, loss and depression, it is rare to find a fantasy superhero comic this boldly breaking boundaries on existentialism. It is epic existentialism.
Jane Foster will be joined this time by the big Marvel male ensemble - Doctor Strange, Thor, Captain America, and Spider-Man - and also the few female and comparably unknown heroes - Excalibur/Dr. Faiza Hussain, and the Night Nurse... who is a nurse, but for superheroes, so she's fearless and resourceful (and she had a thing with Doctor Strange, because of course she did). Also Death personified is a woman. Okeydokey then.
The comic touches further on an aspect of Jane's character that was thrown in once in a line of dialogue in the first volume - that she was married, and had a young son, who had tragically died along with her ex-husband. I'd have thought that this would be mentioned as equally if not far more than that she was a cancer patient. I'm not saying this tragedy should define her, but it shouldn't be treated like an afterthought to be discarded and picked up again whenever the writer feels like it. Jane as a bereaved mother should perhaps be treated as a big deal more often, instead of a footnote to be brought up only as a device for general grief, is what I'm trying to get at.
Another thing I must mention is 'At the End of All Things' is a lot. It's overwhelming, and in a way an accumulation of the impact of all of Marvel's properties across every medium. As much as I am enjoying most of the Marvel comics I've been reading recently, I am also burned out by them. How much continuity can one keep track of and not be confused, by the big or little features? Nothing is allowed to be a self-contained story anymore; nothing read or viewed is treated like it's someone's first exposure to it and its universe.
This detriment to the entertainment industry is the same reason why I have not seen any of the MCU TV series that Disney farts out every few months - it's just too much. It's damn exhausting to consume so much, and burn out and financial and social deterioration are inevitable. And if there's one thing I've learned about myself this year, it's that I am not a television junkie, and I don't want to be. I want to at least attempt to have a life. Also screw Disney and its endless, black hole greed, and exploiting nerd culture to stratospheric reaches.
With that said, 'Valkyrie: Jane Foster, Vol 2: At the End of All Things' is entertaining, clever, introspective, and occasionally funny, as well. I didn't think it was particularly noticeable that the ending had to be rushed due to the series' cancellation. Thanks, Marvel, for robbing us of yet another marginalised hero's deserved extended story and presence. D*cks.
I mean, Jane saves the entire universe, Asgard, death itself, and nothingness itself, from the first darkness ever - the first evil ever. She accomplishes this by using her own light, and the light of her weapon, Undrjarn, the most powerful in existence and nonexistence. She finds hope within herself, and her combatting depression saves everyone and everything, and I do mean everything.
Jane Foster, an ordinary woman from Earth, a doctor, a bereft mother, a cancer survivor, a part-time superhero, could be the greatest hero in all of Marvel canon.
I am here for her.
What a ride!
Final Score: 4/5
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