Zeb Larson reviews Southern Cross #6…
Braith pays a high price for revenge.
The first arc of Southern Cross comes to an end in this issue, as we learn a little bit more about the artifact they’re traveling with, what happened to Amber, and the otherworldly haunting the ship has experienced. Don’t get too cozy, though: the issue ends on a spectacularly bleak note. Thankfully (for readers), there’s more to come in the next arc, and Cloonan has done a good job in delivering a conclusion that will allow more story to be built atop it. I will be keeping this issue spoiler free.
Alex and the captain manage to restrain Lon and bind him up, and it quickly becomes obvious that he’s completely out of his mind. Alex and the captain must work to evacuate the ship as a nearby gate opens up, but there are a host of other problems facing them: traitorous crew, the Seven Hands operative, the issue of the alien artifacts…and of course, the issue of the gate. There are no easy decisions to make here.
There’s a fascinating degree of moral ambiguity in this issue and throughout the series as a whole. Just about everybody here was ethically compromised in some way. Alex had turned her back on her sister, the captain had looked the other way on her murder, St. Martin appears to be at least partly regretful for her part in the murder…Only the thief seems to feel no remorse for any of his actions, and Alex manages to screw him over fairly brilliantly. If there’s a constant through the Southern Cross, it’s guilt, and everybody is guilty in some way.
That same ambiguity extends to the conclusion of this story arc, ending on a profoundly mixed emotional note. Alex and the captain manage to make some noble decisions aimed at staving off disaster elsewhere, but at an unimaginable cost to themselves. Furthermore, the threat is not closed at all, and based on the last pages of the book somebody is going looking for the Southern Cross when they should forget it ever existed. Alex is still left with the same guilt she’s had the whole series. If there’s any consolation, it’s the knowledge that her sister has been trying to help her this whole time-albeit in a way that Alex can’t even begin to understand. Her ultimate fate is still alone, but there must be some small consolation that Alex isn’t entirely alone.
Throughout this series, Becky Cloonan has done a superb job of not giving away too much information. Even with all the revelations in this series, we’re still left with a great many questions. Why are some people so desperate to get their hands on this artifact? How did these artifacts make their way to Titan, where did they come from, and who made them? For that matter, what are the entities on the other side and what is their plan? Lastly, who wants to go searching for the Southern Cross? Holding out just enough on us will keep the next arc vital and interesting, and we’re well set up for the next arc to begin.
So, cheers to Southern Cross for a really strong first arc. Mixing sci-fi, horror, and a mystery is not an easy thing, especially sustaining that mystery for a few issues. What comes next is wide open, but it’s got a strong foundation to build on.
Rating: 9.2/10
Zeb Larson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=3AMx7tPsXgQ
Originally published December 9, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
