Review: The Ravagers Vol. 2- Heavenly Destruction

Quick Summary

Pros: The opening chapters present an interesting take on the previous volume’s villains.

Cons: The volume’s narrative feels as if it is constantly shifting focus. The book’s conclusion is rushed and tries to do too much in too little time. Numerous plot threads are left open and the main characters are left underdeveloped.

Overall: This book is a strange mix of quality that ultimately makes for a rather poor read. It starts out strong but does not stay this way for long. Instead, a rushed conclusion forces the characters though a barrage of confusing events. In the end, numerous story elements are left unresolved and the entire point of the series seems to have been lost. The opening chapters of this book are fun but the conclusion will inevitably leave any interested reader completely disappointed.

Story

There are moments where it appears as if The Ravagers Vol. 2: Heavenly Destruction, by Michael Alan Nelson, will deliver a compelling story about a unique group of characters. Unfortunately, this promise only makes the volume’s mess of a conclusion all the more disappointing.

The volume starts out with a ton of potential, telling a unique story about the reluctant heroics of two villains. However, this promise quickly dissipates as the volume descends into a chaotic and rushed conclusion. Dedicated readers are sure to find themselves dismayed as the actions of the Ravagers crumble apart over the course of a few pages, leaving numerous characters woefully underdeveloped and numerous questions unanswered. This is a disappointing conclusion for a series with a solid level of promise.

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Heavenly Destruction opens with a sharp shift in focus. Instead of detailing the exploits of the Ravagers, the semi-heroic actions of Rose Wilson and Warblade dominate the narrative. This shift in focus is very sudden and is definitely a bit jarring at first. It also doesn’t help that the volume shifts focus again once this arc is complete. These narrative changes are not too bad individually, but they are plentiful enough to become annoying as the volume drags on.

Luckily, these opening chapters are pretty entertaining. Seeing the villains on the side of the angels is interesting and adds an additional level of complexity to their characters. Their role here also defies the traditional “villain turned hero” dynamic by never allowing either character to become too invested in their role as a hero. Instead, the story leaves it up to the reader to ponder whether these villains could ever fight on the side of the righteous.

However, once this story finishes up, the volume begins to quickly fall apart. It immediately shifts focus back to the Ravagers, whose story begins to unfold faster than ever. Before readers have time to adjust to the renewed dynamic, a major character is brought back to life, another major character recovers his identity, and the majority of the cast is “killed” by Deathstroke. So much happens in such a small amount of time that it becomes almost impossible to appreciate. Instead, the pacing numbs readers to everything that is happening, which completely dilutes the impact of the conclusion.

This rushed ending also leads to a number of plotlines being tossed out before being fully realized; some are even tossed away before being partially realized. The mystery of Caitlin Fairchild’s past is completely unexplored, Rose’s connection to Niles Caulder remains a secret, and not a single member of the main cast is developed properly. A number of these mysteries were introduced right before this series was cancelled, which makes their presence here all the more frustrating. All in all, the final chapters of this volume are aggravating enough to turn off any potential readers.

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Art

The artwork throughout Heavenly Destruction is mostly average throughout. Ig Guara’s pencils kick off the volume and demonstrate a solid structure and a nice level of detail. Specifically, Guara does a nice job in making both the main and minor characters look distinct and memorable in their own way. The volume then closes with a few issues, penciled by Diogenes Neves, that look far darker and more bleak. This matches the overall tone of these chapters and helps convey the conclusion’s darkness. Overall, this is a decent looking volume that finds very few places to offend visually.

Continuity

The Ravagers Vol. 2: Heavenly Destruction continues the story from Ravagers Vol. 1: The Kids From N.O.W.H.E.R.E. (Review).

The Ravagers series ends with this volume. However, Beast Boy’s story continues in Teen Titans Vol. 4: Light and Dark. Also, Rose and Terra’s story continues in Deathstroke #19, which is collected in Deathstroke Vol. 2: Lobo Hunt (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• The events of The Culling: Rise of the Ravagers (Review) are mentioned a number of times.
• Deathstroke brings up a piece of information about Caitlin Fairchild’s past. This occurred in Team 7 issues #5-6 which are collected in Team 7 Vol. 1: Fight Fire With Fire (Review).