Written by: Kelly DeConnick
Art by: Agustin Alessio
Publisher: Dark Horse
It’s taken something like four months and sixteen issues, but Fire and Stone is finally at its end. I’ve enjoyed the ride, more than I thought I would, but when it’s come to endings, Fire and Stone has had some problems. All felt too open, some felt too rushed, and none offered anything in terms of closure. Fire and Stone: Omega is where sixteen different issues join, meaning this final 46-page comic has a lot it needs to accomplish.
The comic starts off with Angela, Galgo, Jill, Chris, and Ahab still stuck on LV223. The wildlife and plantlife have continued to mutate, so much so that there’s very little left that’s edible. The characters are starving, and there’s little hope of any rescue.
Things change when Elden crash lands on LV223, though he doesn’t seek vengeance this time around. He’s as lost as ever, but now his confusion is more spiritual than anything else. He also seems lonely and just in need of company.
With Elden and Ahab’s help, Angela realizes that the old Prometheus is somewhere inside the mountain they’ve been living in. If they get to it, they can leave.
FaS:O doesn’t deliver a very shocking story—we knew about everything listed above to some capacity from the other comics—and the last-ditch attempt at self rescue is the obvious course of action. However, the plot is well-delivered, both visually and in writing, and I refuse to complain about a story when the execution is good.
Elden and Ahab are both highlights, the former being better written here than in his own story arc. He’s no longer annoying, and he serves as an interesting focal point now that he isn’t a robot. It’s very evident that what happened to him in his own story has dramatically changed him, and thinking back to Aliens vs. Predator: Fire and Stone, the changes are all believable.
Ahab’s highlights are more about him being generally awesome. He’s a well-written predator, especially given that he doesn’t speak English at all. Actions speak louder than words, or so the cliché goes, and Ahab embodies that well.
Galgo and Angela also remain strong characters, and their relationship/repertoire is handled very well. Kelly Deconnick fit a lot of character into a very limited page space, and I always find that impressive.
The themes of FaS:O, and perhaps of the entire Fire and Stone series, have been prison and what it means to be alive. Looking back, every character has suffered some kind of prison, be it a place (LV223, the three space ships, the mountain) or the self (Elden, Francis, Russel), and the end result has always been to step back and examine the question: I am still alive, but why and now what? FaS:O takes that theme and puts it at the very forefront, doing away with any subtlety. It’s interesting, and it makes for some compelling scenes and bouts of dialogue. The question too, is asked, though no answers are given.
But that’s, perhaps, the point.
However, I did want answers to a few questions raised in earlier issues, like what happened to Russell or what was the Engineer doing, but none of those questions are brought up, let alone answered. I’m a bit disappointed by that. For those expecting something really cool out of the living mountain, you’ll also be disappointed.
Depending on how you view your endings, FaS:O either does a fantastic job or a very, very poor job of finishing the Fire and Stone story. There are many different ways to say goodbye to characters, and not all endings are easy, both to follow or digest.
I’m going to sound like a hypocrite right now, because I didn’t like the open endings of the previous Fire and Stone comics, yet I’m quite fine with the way FaS:O ended. I feel like there’s more reasoning here for an open ending, one where happiness isn’t escape but a revelation. I won’t blame anyone for feeling different on the matter, though.
I’ve truly enjoyed Dark Horse’s trip through my favorite fictional universe. I still don’t consider any of it canon, but fun stories are still fun stories. When these comics finally hit stores as trade paperbacks, I plan on buying them. I believe there’s some interesting stuff hidden behind what were some strange ideas and unsatisfying endings.
