The conclusion to the miniseries, out Wednesday, leaves an open ending for more adventures, which is fine by me. (Especially since the followup is set in Japan!)

This issue was a bit too heavy on the “big action piece” for my tastes — I would have preferred more tackling of the weighty issues raised by the concept, a genius investigator coming to terms with her own mortality — but it makes sense as a punchy, fun-to-watch ending to this installment of the story. (I expected, given the premise, less of an ending that depended on physical strength, although it can be read as a visual symbol of the internal struggle.) There are some very nifty images and effects in the “trapped in the mysterious afterlife” section of the story, with near-wordless expressions of dread and fear that the reader will likely share. I hope the missed secret will be shared again, because I dislike “if only the characters had bothered to talk to each other!”-driven plots.

I liked the character work, and I look forward to seeing more of this team in the next story, The Devil Made Flesh, which starts next month. You can read the complete issue #1 online, or here’s an interview with Mark Waid about his goals for the series.