“Everything ends,” says W. Maxwell Prince’s newest compilation of linked stories. But as is true of any Prince release, there’s more here than meets the eye.
Prince and Image comics give us Swan Songs, a series of six loosely connected narratives, each in their own way about endings. We open simply enough—with the end of the world. This grand cataclysm is grounded intimately in a hospital-bound mother and the son who fights to care for her amidst the end of everything. From there we travel through the end of a marriage and the eternal mortal combat. Husband and wife agree to face across fantastic realities as they reckon with young love and fractured connection. We cross the aftermath of a prison sentence and a biblically-infused post-apocalyptic story of a new Eden. We go deep into the psyche of a man who cannot feel joy and we end at a sidewalk that extends out into nothing. But, as the comic asks each time in its own way, is this truly where these stories end after all?
Prince has shown himself to be truly at home in the weird, stitching together narratives of people living through the uncertain and often uncomfortable realities of existence. Though there is significantly less horror in this volume than some of his other works, Swan Songs is a compelling blend of truly strange storytelling and deeply poignant themes. From calamities to eternal combat to the depths of the human subconscious, the writing and imagery across this series is sometimes tangible and other times utterly surreal. Nevertheless, the characters facing these strange circumstances are immediate and recognizable—people awash in humanity and doubt, doing the best they can to find connection. I don’t know how Prince manages to do it, but each new comic he releases somehow feels more powerful than the last. The final issue here presents a twisted inversion of Shel Silverstein’s famous work. While this issue initially felt like the weakest in the collection, it manages to rouse itself to a quiet but powerful conclusion, drawing together questions that have built through each preceding story and leaving the book with a powerful send-off. It’s an ending that leaves things open without feeling at all like it has abandoned the reader before the time is right. And this works because even when the story ends—life still goes on.
Pairing with Prince’s writing, six artists bring their talents to capturing each entry in this tapestry of endings. Showcasing some notable names in contemporary comics, the shifting styles move between color palates and visual aesthetics as the real gives way to the unreal across these pages. Each artist brings a distinct style to their chapter, but this is an anthology where every artist stands strong on their own. At the same time, the six recognizable styles feed into each other and manage to create a cohesive whole despite the only vague threads tying them together. Prince’s writing is gripping, but these artists provide a visual journey that carries the reader along into some fascinating places.
Image gives Swan Songs a Mature rating and with a spread of sex, violence, strong language, and mature themes, this is clearly a volume aimed at adults. However, it’s difficult to convey just how much lies between the covers of this this book. Anyone interested in comics that manage to be surreal, dark, hopeful, and contemplative all at once will find something to enjoy. There are subtle references to Ice Cream Man to be found, so anyone who is an established fan of Prince’s other work is sure to be intrigued. But for those who want an entry point that is less horrific than the Ice Cream Man series, there’s darkness here, but it combines with a meditative melancholy that offers more possibility than the sometimes nihilistic undertones which run through Prince’s other offerings.
In summary, as with Prince’s other work, Swan Songs is weird, surreal, dark, and more complex than one might expect—but in spite of all its strangeness, he remains an immensely compelling storyteller who is playing with the possibilities of the format while delving deeper and deeper into the strange uncertainties that make us human. I never know where he’s headed next, and I will keep reading across every unexpected chapter spanning our world and imagined others.
Swan Songs Vol. 1
By W. Maxwell Prince
Art by Martin Simmonds, Caspar Wijngaard, Filipe Andrade, Caitlin Yarsky
Image, 2024
ISBN: 9781534398283
Publisher Age Rating: M
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
Creator Representation: British, Portuguese
Character Representation: Neurodivergent
