Deathrage #6 is a comic written by Aaron Sparrow and illustrated by Emiliano Urdinola with colors by Gaston Zubeldia. The arrival of someone that has a bone to pick with Teddy turns this situation on its head. This is an action-filled final issue that lays it all bare and ensures we understand this cast of characters. Our leading man is Deathrage, a mercenary whose mind has been all over the place and is now in a bad spot. Also on his side of this struggle is Fire Kiss, a woman with fire-based powers who has a daughter that is similarly gifted. Opposite them are Teddy, who is a very angry cyborg teddy bear and his two female assistants. There is also a new player in this game that we’ll get a close look at. The plot continues from the last issue with the big showdown around the fountain. We get some flashbacks that help fill in the gaps around established characters as well as some explanations about how some of these powers came about. Though the action gets bloody this might be the least gruesome episode of this series. The pace is steady with the intensity high almost the entire time. The tone is both somber and angry with an additional air of desperation. The dialogue is usually back-and-forth with the occasional humor but one of the other characters does like to launch into mini-monologues. There are a few word-heavy pages but it doesn’t read slow. This is the final issue in what has been an exciting series and this does not stray from that path as we have entertaining scuffles, heartbreaking revelations, and a worthwhile conclusion.

            The art here is very detailed and leans more towards realism but is still eye-catching. The colors here tend to be a bit darker in tone overall due to this story taking place at night but there are still some brighter spots.  The majority of this comic takes place in the courtyard of a mansion with a fountain at its center. The backgrounds are mainly brick/stone walls with the close-ups having some part of the scene in them more often than not. The atmosphere is very wet as it is raining and the way the water splashes on the people is a nice touch. The expression level here is high as the emotion in their words is worn on their faces. There is a lot of talking done by these characters and what they say is given added weight by how easy it is to tell what their feeling. Faces have scars, wrinkles, and care given to even the eyebrows and lashes. The mystical effects look as otherworldly and explosive as they should. The action here isn’t very gruesome but there is some blood. The violent scenes are spread out and flow well. The costumes are skintight combat-oriented, if they are wearing anything at all.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

If you like superhero stories with violent conclusions and revealing backstories with a talkative black lead with revenge and mystical elements and strong personalities this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

R. Violence, death, nudity.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“Besides…we both know you’re not a killer.”

 

Physical Link: https://mercpublishing.com/products/deathrage-6-cover-b-emiliano-urdinola?_pos=1&_sid=b5172e7f9&_ss=r

Digital Link: https://mercpublishing.com/products/deathrage-6-pdf-download?_pos=3&_sid=b5172e7f9&_ss=r

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mercmagazine/deathrage-6-special-edition/description

Unboxing Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B0ovecq-vE

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 26

Violent Pages: 13, for 50% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 4

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 3

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 3

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 2

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”