REVIEW: ASCENDER VOL 3: THE DIGITAL MAGE
We finally have liftoff...
The ASCENDER series hasn't been as big of a smash hit as DESCENDER was for me. I've found the pacing to be really slow in spite of how many things are going on, but I've been curious to see how this whole saga ends, so I finally got to the third volume this month.
HOW I RATED IT
4/5 Things are finally starting to pick up with this series. This installment doesn't resolve everything (of course), but it does start to bring some pieces together for what will hopefully be a spectacular final volume.
NOTE: While my goal is to avoid major spoilers for ASCENDER VOL 3: THE DIGITAL MAGE, I would advise not reading this review unless you have first finished the first volume in this series as well as the preceding series, DESCENDER.
Mila, Telsa, Driller, Bandit, Mizerd, and Helda finally manage to take flight and leave the planet Samson. Along the way, we get some insights into the true nature of magic in this world as well as character motivations and fears for various members of the ship's crew. As part of this side of the story, there is a surprise reappearance of a character from DESCENDER and I was quite pleased to see them make a return. The way that other characters react to this re-introduction was entertaining as well. The second party of characters consists of Andy and Effie, who, in yet another fake-out death, turns out to not only be not-dead, but is also cured of her vampirism. That may seem like a huge spoiler, but it happens within the first few pages of their arc. While I can't say I'm in love with the repeated use of this plot device, the explanation provided for her return is at least interesting. They quickly find themselves in great peril and cross paths with some mysterious strangers who resist Mother's influence. I'll be curious to see how all these characters connect back with the rest of the heroes for the final volume, but I found their path in this one to be pretty compelling on its own. The third grouping of characters is Mother and the ghost of a previous Mother who has her sights set on some greater purpose that isn't fully clear. Neither one of them are sympathetic characters, but the dynamic between them is still pretty engaging and I look forward to learning what their endgame really is. The final character to mention is Tim-21. His presence in the story shouldn't come as a surprise since he is featured on the volume's cover and his arrival has been heavily built up. What's strange though is how minimal his role still is. There are some interesting twists relating to him right at the end, but he is largely absent otherwise, so I hope the payoff for him in the final volume will be worthwhile.
SETTING/WORLD
While Andy and Effie are still (presumably) on Samson, they at least explore some new corners of it and uncover some hidden elements. The rest of the gang finally makes it into space and that gives the story more of that epic, interplanetary feeling that the preceding series had, which I enjoyed. They also travel to a gaseous world filled with ghoulish beings where a rebel base is supposed to be hidden. Mother and her allies are also much more mobile this time with some of her allies sailing across the stars at her behest and she herself traversing both physical and spiritual realms as she is coerced to do her enemy's bidding. What maybe struck me most about the worldbuilding is the way that the concept of magic is finally starting to be explored. There aren't any clear answers or revelations just yet, but it was fascinating to get more insight into what exactly magic is and what the source(s) of it might be. I think there is a ton of ground left to cover both literally and metaphorically in the final volume. The fate of the Descenders, the truth about magic, and where this universe will end up when all is said and done will need to be addressed. For now, though, I'm just glad to see more movement as opposed to the dogged chase sequences we've gotten so far across relatively small distances.
PLOT/TONE
I am so pleased that this series seems to be kicking into gear for the second half of it's run. I also enjoy that this installment feels much more expansive than the others both in terms of the places the characters go and in the intricacies of it's narrative. Characters who didn't seem to have much of a purpose before are coming back around to prove their relevance and we're starting to see little details materialize into somewhat important plot points. Mila has her mission to locate Tim with the help of her companions, Mother is being steered towards mysterious ends, the King of Gnish has designs at elevating his status, Andy and Effie must continue to fight for their lives, and somewhere out there, Tim might just be the key to everything. There's still an awful lot of open questions by the end of this volume, but readers can at least start to make guesses as to where things might end up. The character interactions felt a little deeper and more nuanced this time around now that there's some forward momentum too. I think the biggest difference is that character actions feel a bit less reactionary. Everyone has more or less clearly stated goals they are working toward. Even in Andy and Effie's case, where they are sort of just surviving, they still have a goal to get back to their daughter and end up finding something of a secondary purpose when they make some new allies. All in all, this felt much closer to what I was used to from DESCENDER. I hope the setup from the first half of this series will continue to pay off and culminate into something awesome in the grand finale.
At this point, you probably either love the art style or you don't care for it. Personally, I'm more so on the side of loving it, especially when it is executed to it's full potential. When certain panels are handled with less detail, they can look extremely unfinished or even lazy, but that is not necessarily anything new with this series and I'd say that most of the shots look either good or great. There is still a problem with some panels spilling into the inner margins, but I noticed that happened a lot less this time, at least with crucial text elements. The paperback quality is similarly consistent with past volumes and I really like the cover for this one, but it does sort of mislead you into thinking that Tim will play a larger role than he does.
CONCLUSION
If you've made it this far with Andy and his friends and family, then there's not really any reason not to continue with this volume. Things appear to hitting their stride and I look forward to seeing how everything comes together.
(+) More surprising returns for characters from DESCENDER
(+) There's a much stronger sense of direction with the plot this time around
(+) We get a lot more information about this world and the magic within it
(+) Character interactions and motivations were compelling across the board
(+) Some fun developments have the finale poised to deliver something pretty awesome
(-) The art and production value is still a mix of exceptional to somewhat lackluster
(-) Tim having such a limited role felt annoying to me given how much centers around him and how few issues are left in the series
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