Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye #6 Review and **SPOILERS**

I Am He and You Are He and You Are Me and We Are All Spelunking

Writer: Jon Rivera 

Cover & Interior Artist: Michael Avon Oeming 

Colorist: Nick Filardi 

Letterer: Clem Robins 

Editor: Molly Mahan 

Executive Editor: Mark Doyle 

DC’s Young Animal Curated By: Gerard Way 

Cover Price: $3.99 

On Sale Date: August 15, 2018

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Now we’ve come to the end of the series! And almost the end of this “pop-up” imprint! Will Cave Carson’s Eye keep Interstellaratin’? You’ll have to read my review of Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye #6 to find out!

Explain It!

I had a girlfriend once that had a lot of animosity towards her mother. Whenever there were family gatherings, she spent a lot of her time studiously avoiding her maternal figure, until it was time for everyone to say goodbye. Then the two of them would talk and laugh for twenty minutes or more, catching up on all the things left unsaid during whatever meal or event we’d attended. I’m sure we’ve all had similar experiences—perhaps you, yourself, have trouble saying goodbye expediently. There’s an innate fear, I think, that any goodbye might be the last one, and at the moment we vacillate between not wanting to leave something unsaid and saying too much. There’s a certain sweetness to it, except for those that have to mill around parking lots for half an hour while two estranged family members run out the clock.

Cave Carson shares a similar life problem with many men and fathers: in search of professional and personal fulfillment, his social and familial ties fell to the wayside. Throughout both volumes of these series, we’ve been presented with Chloe’s resentment and Cave’s regret at his not having been present during her childhood. In this volume, we learn that Cave is also wracked with remorse for having to leave his colleague Bulldozer in stasis while escaping some cataclysm several decades ago. We get the impression that Cave is a pretty self-castigating fellow, that he has faced his narcissism and found it distasteful. Indeed, carousing around with his daughter is an effort to re-establish a connection with Chloe.

So when the time comes for Cave to sacrifice himself so that Prince Elium might live, he doesn’t waver; Cave jumps at the chance. In doing so, and after a dressing-down by Chloe, Bulldozer puts aside his bad feelings for Cave and gives him some begrudging respect. Dr. Marc Barstow, the King, everyone is so proud of Cave and his martyrdom, surely this heroic act will wipe away any perceived misdeeds of the past. And after Cave is immolated, Prince Elium puts him back together again, since that’s what he does. Cave could have picked any form, but he picked a slightly younger version of himself because he’s incredibly vain. So there never was anything at stake in this issue after all! Oh well. So long, kiddos! See ya in the graphic novel section of your local bookstore!

This was a pretty deflated ending. I suspect that Bulldozer’s relationship with Cave was intended to have a longer tail—seems strange that he’d first appear in the last issue and be cured of this grudge he’s nursed for many years in the next. The visuals were a little more straightforward than usual, and in cases I would dare say it looked rushed. This issue lacked the payoff that might have resulted if the relationships between various characters was better-defined. At the same time, it tied together all obvious loose threads, so it did provide a minimum level of satisfaction. I wouldn’t have minded seeing the twelve-issue version of this story, instead of the one lobbed off at the knees.

Bits and Pieces:

Cave Carson gets his redemption, and he doesn't need to sacrifice anything for it. The final issue of this already low-stakes series is almost totally devoid or intrigue or suspense. But Wild Dog makes a cameo appearance at the end, so that's nice.

6.5/10