REVIEW: ‘Seven to Eternity,’ Volume 4

After almost a two-year hiatus, Seven to Eternity finally returned with issue 14 to finish Adam Osidis’ story. With such a long wait, this series’s return was exciting but bittersweet with the knowledge that the end was nigh. But now, this series officially comes to a close with the release of Seven to Eternity Volume 4, which collects issues 14 through 17. Seven to Eternity Volume 4 is published by Giant Generator in conjunction with Image Comics, written by Rick Remender, drawn by Jerome Opeña, colored by Matt Hollingsworth, and lettered by Rus Wooton.

In Seven to Eternity Volume 4, Adam and Garils Sulm, the infamous Mud King, find their journey’s end at the fabled Springs of Zhal. The Springs are the only thing that can cure Adam’s fatal affliction; a promise Garils is upholding after making a deal with Adam. But it sounds too easy to be true. Sure enough, to enter the Springs, Adam is forced to confront his entire reason for living. But will he be able to face the truth? Will all of Adam’s sacrifices be for not after this long, tumultuous journey?

Adam has come so far since issue one in many ways. He’s grown and changed; he’s done unthinkable things, all for his family. Remender has shown Adam changing so gradually that the man in issue one seems so foreign now. But if you think everything has already fallen apart, especially after Adam accepted a deal from Garils, you haven’t seen anything yet. Remender doesn’t hold back, depicting both Adam’s physical and spiritual corruption along with everything around him.

As Adam hits rock bottom, we’re reminded of where he’s come from with excellent uses of flashback panels. And flitting back and forth between the bad present and the good past leads to some agonizing, heartbreaking moments, but I can’t think of any better way to end this amazing series. And to top it all off, we finally understand exactly why this series is called “Seven to Eternity.”

But the volume wouldn’t hit as hard if we didn’t understand what was going on inside Adam’s head. Each issue is marked by a page out of Adam’s personal journal. While not necessarily required to read, they’re short and provide a perfect insider’s view of what Adam is ruminating on in reaction to certain events. It’s a great, simplistic way to add depth to Adam and the plot.

The artwork is some of the best I’ve seen. Opeña and Hollingsworth are true masters of their craft. With both the linework and the gorgeous color palette that flits between vibrant and muted tones, the beautiful, fantastical Land of Zhal comes to life in their hands. The world depicted on these pages is unique; we’ve seen all manner of beasts through this series, but this last volume steps it up a notch. So many people have flocked to the Springs, drawn by its magic. And in turn, we see some fantastic novel designs with the sorts of creatures that turn up. Even the landscapes blend beautiful flora with otherworldly designs. There has been so much thought put into these pages; this final volume is an absolute treat.

With all this wonderful artwork, Wooton makes sure that the speech bubbles never distract from it. The letters are not only easy to follow, but the readability is further improved with the use of different borders and fonts to differentiate between things like an inner monologue, The Piper’s dialogue, and people that The Piper controls.

Seven to Eternity Volume 4 is a wonderful end to this fantastical, beautiful series. Adam’s journey finally comes to a close, and while it doesn’t finish how I would have expected, it will leave readers to ruminate on how Adam got here, why, and perhaps what we can take away from his journey. It’s bittersweet and poignant but at the same time impactful. This has been a wonderful series to follow, and I implore everyone to give this series a try.

Seven to Eternity Volume 4 is available now wherever comics are sold.