Posted in: Comics, IDW | Tagged: fantasy, idw publishing, kirby veitch, rick veitch, rick veitch's the one, sci-fi, superheroes, The Beatles, The One

Rick Veitch's The One #6 Review: The Beatles References that Never Were

Charles' battle against Bog has torn the world to shreds. The surface is no longer inhabitable. Charles finally brings Bog's rampage to an end, but it's too late for our planet. Humanity has two choices: join the One or join the Other. Egypt now faces the same choice as she falls from a toppling skyscraper. Doc is drugged out across the ruined New York and barely gripping onto reality. The U.S. government is taking a victory lap in Bog's defeat, but they are celebrating far too early.

Rick Veitch's The One #6 rounds out the reprint of this bizarre series in a spectacularly bombastic, if overly-wordy, fashion. Earth is finished thanks to the battle between the superiors. The One and the Other are divvying up what is left of humanity.

The seemingly nihilistic doomsaying of the story turns into a 1960's-inspired treatise on the power of love, unity, and believing in our best. Charles and Amelia are given moral outs for their actions. Bog is left to rot, but he is at least shown some sympathy. Even the Other is written off as a part of the natural cycle. The primary villains in the end are the powers that be, whether it be the U.S government, the USSR's regime, or the ultra-rich Itchy Itch.

Doc makes a lot of bad not-Beatles references, going into a cringingly reworded rendition of "A Day in the Life." Oddly enough, this may have been the thing I liked least about this book. That, and "Mellow Submarine."

The existentialist ending didn't rub me the wrong way like so many stories in the same vain I've read in the past. That's partially because the surrealism is a payoff instead of an element we're supposed to follow throughout the whole story.

Surprisingly, the effected ugliness of Veitch's characters reaches an all-time high here, especially regarding the American president and Jay-Hole, the now-leader of the Other. It works for this strange world, but I don't find myself in love with the style, It's effective here though, and I must praise it for that. Kirby Veitch brings blended and primarily warmer shades to the page, and they suit the book pretty well.

Rick Veitch's The One #6 is a strange and grabbing journey through the apocalypse and a rebirth for humanity and Earth itself. It is surprisingly optimistic and well-meaning in this catastrophe. This bizarre book comes recommended. Check it out.

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