The Final Wish is about to be granted. But… then what? Your Major Spoilers review of Eight Billion Genies #8 from Image Comics awaits!

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EIGHT BILLION GENIES #8

Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Ryan Browne
Colorist: Ryan Browne
Letterer: Chris Crank
Production Design: Erika Schnatz
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 12, 2023

Previously in Eight Billion Genies: The monumental ode to worldwide wish fulfillment completes its story with an exploration of THE FIRST EIGHT CENTURIES after the moment eight billion genies appeared on earth. We’ll see how the last remaining wishes get used and discover the fates of the characters we met at the Lampwick Tavern all that time ago.

“WE WON’T BE FREE UNTIL THEY FREE THEMSELVES”

In a massive surprise, the story of the next eight centuries actually begins with the story of the LAST eight centuries, as we find out how former genie Will actually came to be on Earth in the first place: He was the genie who granted the last wish in the previous iteration of the world. Landing on Earth in the 12th century, Will lives life after life, able to change his form to look however he wishes and experience anything that human life has to offer. It’s a harrowing tale, especially in the century where he acquires personal power and accidentally inspired the myth of Dracula, and by extension, all vampires. He fathers and/or mothers thousands, murders thousands more (including being responsible for the dissemination of the Black Plague), and experiences any number of different lives. By the 1800s, though, he’s settled on keeping a vigil, building his first tavern, and watching the human population grow. Then, some 700 years after G-Day, he is surprised to find Daisy, one of the people who were in his bar when everything blew up, standing at his door…

A BEAUTIFUL ENDING

What follows is some of the most gorgeous comic storytelling in recent memory, as Daisy and Will begin to discuss what the perfect wish might have been, and how one might make it happen. The sudden appearance of another person is shocking enough, but then Soule and Browne wrap up their tale as well, ending a story that has been filled with spectacle and madness with a quiet conversation in a bar. It’s very impressive work, with visuals that are always clear and beautifully staged. Will’s travels are especially impressive, as Browne uses subtle coloring techniques to identify the former genie, no matter his age, gender, or presentation. The reveal of what happens when a former genie is both hilarious and terrifying, while the final moments of the story change the game again. The synthesis of art and story is wonderfully realized, and the ending is hopeful, poignant, and a little bit sad all at once, bringing the whole story to a close for everyone.

BOTTOM LINE: AN EXAMPLE OF HOW COMICS SHOULD END

To make a centuries-long story short, Eight Billion Genies #8 provides the perfect ending for this story, one that encompasses the human experience and calls back to the very first wish we see made, working together with just plain beautiful art for a perfect 5 out of 5 stars overall. This book will be on my list of things to recommend to people who want to get into comics but don’t want to start with Batman, and if you haven’t been reading, I strongly urge you to go do so. It’s a masterpiece.

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