The Forgotten has been an intricate mystery comic with a couple different parallel story tracks, and each issue of build-up has been more interesting than the last, but unfortunately the ending didn't come together as strongly as I had hoped. Part of that is another change in artists, which results in serviceable but not spectacular art for the final chapter, but just as much is due to a lot of characters and subplots that are not well-introduced or reintroduced and a conclusion to the parallel story track that wasn't terribly satisfying. However, while I had some disappointment with the final issue, this overall was a strong mini-series and I'm very much anticipating the next series, with one artist and in full color.
The problem with the conclusion, as I see it, is that Young and Grealish split their focus, and what the story was about splinters into about five or six different things. The murder of Mindy Flowers turns out to be all-too-mundane given all the twists and turns of Clarence's investigation, the end result for James flies by too quickly and with unclear storytelling and the expected confrontation between the reporter and student and the subject of their search is less than satisfying as well, given its build-up across three previous issues. There's also the various political and criminal figures involved in the story, as Grealish and Young are trying to make a point about the corruption of the system and how Clarence can affect it, but the numbers of people involved finally makes the point a little too obscure to really hit.
However, most of my complaints come from the creators' reach exceeding their grasp, and I'd rather see something ambitious but flawed than something run-of-the-mill. The use of Philadelphia as the setting of The Forgotten sets it apart, with only a few books like The Ultimates able to compare in terms of well-researched and distinctive settings. And while the political manipulations didn't really come together for me, I like that the plot delves into that area of the city and shows that Clarence is not just keeping up the status quo in his one-man war on crime.
Jonathan Luna is the latest artist tapped for The Forgotten, and while he's not bad, I found myself mostly missing the previous artists. He does exceptional work on the backgrounds and the city of Philadelphia, but his characters are a little rough and indistinct, not as polished and realistic as those of previous artists. Luna's work is solid, but it's another change in artists and it's not as good as the art that has been in the first three issues. The promise of artistic stability in the next series is a big bonus in my mind, even moreso than the promise of color.
In the end, while the finale disappointed me somewhat, The Forgotten stands out in my mind as a success, an unusual take on the super-hero genre that suffers from a few plot quirks but not a lack of vision on the part of the creators. I'll certainly be on board for the next effort from Fintan Studios.
