Although this issue largely avoided the central conflicts of the comic until its final pages, those final pages are wonderfully crafted and promise that what is to come will have been worth the wait. Beyond that, Rissos renderings of the Mexican landscape, for all of its natural beauty and the brutal landmarks left by the cartels, are what make this issue worth reading multiple times.

Brother Lono continues to stall its story, promising bloody action and frightening consequences, but never reaching them. Rissos art is, once again, the best (and a very good) reason to purchase the title.

Brother Lono #7 is an improvement upon previous issues, but suffers from the long-running flaws in the series. A lack of space and time in which to finish the story (only twenty pages left) has forced an increase in narrative propulsion and a series of significant consequences. These changes may allow for the series to end on a significantly more positive note.

Astro City #8 continues to tell a great story about comics most iconic trinity, using analogs not constricted by continuity or the whims of editors. Deeper concerns about feminism and the role of women in comics (both as characters and creators) bubble under the surface and may manage to transform this storyline into a highlight of 2014.

Lil Gotham #24 functions as a perfect capstone for the series, emphasizing the most important aspects of the series in a satisfying manner for both long-time readers and those who are new to the series. In the final panels, as Batman tucks both his son and surrogate father in to bed, Nguyen reveals Batman smiling. Despite his tragic origins, he has a family and the world is not such a dark place after all.

Fables continues a large collection of plot threads, but with an ending in sight, the story is provided a new sense of momentum.

Fables #136 is a perfectly standard issue of this series. It may age well as Willinghams goals become more and more clear, and it creates pathways for the great character moments and resonant themes this series has achieved in the past. But for now, it is pretty typical. Moments like this are often necessary in longform storytelling, allowing for powerful act breaks in the near future. Theres plenty to chew on in the meanwhile with genuinely funny dialogue and wonderful character beats. As long as some genuine change is made in the near future, this is a forgivably slow issue. If not, it could be the beginning of a bad trend.

The newest issue of Fables improves on the problems of earlier installments in Camelot, while creating a very real sense of foreboding and dread. It continues to weave together long running story threads that series fans will appreciate, while once again playing with a new perspective amongst the enormous cast. Its a step up in quality that points to even better things to come.

Forever Evil #5 turns what could be a genuinely exciting action sequence into a disappointing mess. The issue relies entirely on previous momentum as it slowly plods to the actual events which will compose its climax. If it were not for a handful of funny and well-characterized moments from Johns narration, it would be entirely dismissible.

Trillium continues to show what Lemire is capable of when left to his own devices and prove it to be the most innovative comic being published under the prestigious Vertigo banner.

In Trillium #5, Lemire continues to experiment with structure and work outside of his establishedcomfort zone. This results in another success, one which will encourage readers to revisit the entireseries and reflect on the purpose of its construction. This issue sets a standard to which othermainstream comics should aspire.

Trillium continues to be an outstanding series that capably uses the comic medium to reinforce the emotions and character beats of a genre-rich love story. Although this issue is slower than previous releases, its no reason to believe the finale will disappoint.