This is it: the big finale for DC's multiverse-altering summer event. Convergence has been a bumpy ride from the start, but in the last several issues it has managed to pull itself together in a way that looked like redemption just might be possible.
Convergence #8 is a little bit of a letdown then. It isn't outright bad, like some of the issues that came before, but for the climactic conclusion, it's, well, lacking a climax.
After Green Lantern killed Deimos last issue, the fate of the planet Telos and all the various heroes and villains on it were thrown into danger. Deimos, with the power of the Time Masters, was the only person who could fix the Convergence and restore things to how they once were. Now that he is dead, the planet is unstable and might just destroy the multiverse as we know it.
Whoops. So what do the heroes of the DC multiverse do to stop this seemingly inevitable catastrophe? They talk it out.
Seriously. Telos and the group discuss their options, and then Booster Gold, Goldstar and Waverider show up. Waverider can no longer see the future, but he believes they can make a future of their own with Brainiac's help. The mastermind behind the entire mess is freed, and actually agrees to help, while also explaining just how he came to be in his current form.
What comes next is the interesting stuff. In order for Brainiac to restore the various universes he kidnapped cities from, the first Crisis event must still happen. When it does, the universes can be restored. So Flash and Supergirl willingly return to their reality knowing that they will meet their end. From there, the various universes are all restored. All except Earth-2, that is, which is still blown up.
Not to worry though, for the planet Telos, formerly home of the Convergence, has been wiped clean by Brainiac and is now ready for repopulation. The heroes of Earth-2 plan to rebuild there and start over. I guess you could call it Earth-2-2.
And that's about it. No climactic battles or shocking revelations. This issue is the various heroes of the multiverse standing around making rational decisions, with a little help from Brainiac. At the end, the universe is saved and (almost) everybody gets to go home, happily ever after.
Imagine that. For such a "universe altering event", the stakes and the consequences never seemed high enough to make Convergence anything more than a convenient way for DC to reboot their universe. It reads as a business decision first and a story second. Issue #8 features some nice artwork and manages to wrap the entire event up nicely, but it's not enough to make the last seven issues worth it.
DC's new line of story-focused, creator-driven comics with less emphasis on continuity is exciting. Convergence? Not so much.
Story
★★★☆☆
Art
★★★☆☆
Overall
★★★☆☆
More Comic Book Reviews:
Mortal Kombat #21
Batman: Arkham Knight #14
Batman #40
Convergence #7
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