Obsession. We all have some familiarity with it. We’ve all experienced it. We all know what it is to have a death grip on a thing, for it to consume our thoughts. It can be overwhelming, pervasive, all-consuming. In The Rush, or, This Hungry Earth Reddens Under Snowclad Hills, obsession is the driving force of the story. Within its pages, from the first issue—which seems so far away ago now—to the cathartic, explosive finale, we see how far people will go in the name of their obsessions.
Gold. Power. Love. Revenge. Family. Obsession is the root, the heart of The Rush, the axis around which everything spins and whirls in a vibrant, violent dance. It’s been a glorious, gory adventure, one which I’m frankly sad to see end and part with—but it ends well. And that’s an accomplishment. Not many stories can stick the landing, live up to their own hype, but The Rush manages it in spades. In the final chapter our heroine Nettie sees even more horror, sees even more depravity, tastes even more of the brittle, blistering madness that so many others in the northern wastes had succumbed to. Nettie, though, is a woman made of iron. At the end of things, as the pages of The Rush wind down, she faces her tribulations and clenches the hand fate has dealt her in a deathgrip. Monsters and madmen will not detract her from her vengeance, will not dissuade her from the vindication of her obsession. A mother’s obsession. It’s remarkable. It sings. In the sixth and final issue, The Rush is, quite frankly, brilliant.
The whole team behind the book should be commended in their accomplishment. From Simon Spurrier, weaving together the glittering, blood-soaked tale of The Rush, proving yet again that he’s a force to be reckoned with in the pantheon of comic writers. To the outrageously talented Nathan Gooden lushly illustrating every page, conducting every scene, making every face and action flow. And Addison Duke’s colors. Textures. So vibrant, so inspired. Delving sometimes into the feverish and hallucinatory, combining with Gooden’s art to create a gorgeous sensory experience. And, of course, hats off to Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou for the classy, creative, lovely lettering. It’s rare that a team combines so effectively to create something so amazing.
What more can I say that I haven’t already said? I’m sad to see The Rush end. It’s been one of my favorite things coming out on the stands now for months. Something I look forward to, and now it’s over. But I’m glad, thankful even, for having experienced it, and I cannot wait to see what the talents who created it go on to do next. Five stars? All the stars.
