It’s hard to believe, but we’re already at the climax of the second story arc of the Assassin’s Creed comic series, Setting Sun. It doesn’t seem that long ago we were being introduced to an assassin in the making named Charlotte de la Cruz. But now the time has arrived to see if she can single-handedly deal with a massive threat from the Templars and show how far she’s come, in order to save her comrades. There’s also the small issue of whether Quila can survive the impending death by a rock to the head.
Well, that’s enough catching up, let’s get down to it.
Without revealing the how or the why, rest assured that Quila at least survives long enough to confront the evil conspirator at the head of the plot to assassinate the Emperor of the Incan Empire. Once more, she takes control of roughly half of the entire comic to ensure her story reaches a fitting conclusion, or something slightly fulfilling. I appreciate the long game the writers were going for in providing a platform for this undervalued and often mocked young woman, enabling her to eventually flourish and prove a point.
Arguably one of my favourite characters upon his debut, Don Gonzalo Pardo has been given what can only be described as a character growth spurt for this finale. Pardo, a mere drunkard who seemed to escape from situations due to more luck than judgement and was usually spouting claims of his greatness whilst stumbling around intoxicated. It turns out he wasn’t talking rubbish about his talent and even had an invested interest in Quila to help give her a new purpose in life. He’s been an occasional shining light throughout a story arc which had many ups and downs.
Dare I say the last piece of the Quila puzzle was mostly a decent one, if not a little predictable. And so, moving on to Charlotte’s part of the comic – she is the star after all – and the character defining moment carrying over from the last issue, one of self sacrifice to try and save her team from facing the same fate as the Cartel. Therefore showing that Charlotte cares for her team; whether it’s the correct decision or not.
After gaining useful intel which could help the Brotherhood Cell locate the hackers known as Erudito, the wheels are then put into motion for Charlotte to lead the Templars straight to them, in return for the safety of Galina and the now one-eared Kody. Obviously, things never turn out as simple as that, and the resulting chaos was a pretty enjoyable surprise.
As always, the comic ended with a standard cliffhanger – a shocking revelation of who lies at the supposed end of Charlotte’s journey to find Erudito. To be quite frank though, it did nothing as a draw for pulling me back in for another issue and a more pertinent reason to check out the next chapter of Titan Comics’ Assassin’s Creed series would be to see how the Brotherhood group functions since they’ve evolved and gelled better in recent times.
The artwork in issue #10 is much improved due to the fact it has far less of those silly sound effects plastered all over the panels; those that do feature are more endurable. Any violence or action being depicted within the panels look a lot better in regards to realism, without being overly gruesome. I have enjoyed the land of Peru too and the landscapes full of greenery, though it seems as though we won’t be revisiting there anytime soon.
Overall, Setting Sun served its purpose of elevating Charlotte’s character to a higher level of maturity as she grew into the Brotherhood and learned plenty of lessons from her ancestor, Quila. As a finale, it certainly delivered in action and pacing, however faltered slightly in the latest story twist to hit Charlotte.
Should you be picking up issue #10? Yes, because it’s a step up from its last outing.
