The boss level.
Double Dragon #6
FINAL ISSUE
Marvel (December, 1991)
“Last Of The Dragons” WRITERS: Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich PENCILER: Sal Velluto INKER: Brad Vancata COLORIST: Kevin Tinsley LETTERER: Pat Brosseau MANAGING EDITOR: Evan Skolnick EDITOR: Fabian Nicieza
Chaos reigns in Oligopolis, as Nightfall opens the floodgates of his forces and the Counterforce’s darkness is felt. Stan, Marian, and the Double Dragons fight their way through and finally confront their enemy. Separately and together, Billy and Jimmy are no match for Nightfall, but by releasing their mother’s soul from Nightfall’s container they finally win. The former Shinichi is trapped within a new Dragon Statue and Miranda, having taken over Marian, gets to say goodbye to her family before her spirit departs. Then Billy and Jimmy start fighting over Marian, with Stan noting this was how it started.
What they got right: At least we know Brevoort and Kanterovich read what McDuffie wrote as they call back to Marian shooting Stelth’s hand. It’s an all action martial arts finale and it does well. There’s an opening to a sequel (that never happens) with Nightfall trapped in the statue.
What they got wrong: The art dipped a bit. Vancata was doing the entire art duties until last issue where someone else took over the coloring. This issue he’s only inking someone else’s pencils. There may be reasons for it, like the reasons they changed writers in the last two issue, but it’s noticeable at the end product, which is all I have to judge. And I still wonder what McDuffie has planned for the ending.
Recommendation: A good end to the series. I would like to see one adaptation of Double Dragon that doesn’t force science fiction and mystical elements and is just a regular martial arts fighting story, but of the three that exists, the comic is at the top (followed by the movie which I still kind of like, and the cartoon, which I really don’t). It’s worth getting even if you don’t follow the game (because neither did the comic).
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