Review by Ian Keogh

It’s a clever title for this sixth volume of Hilo, fairly well bringing to an end the major threat hanging over the previous five books, where the larger plot has inched forward through entertaining adventures featuring a charismatic star.

One imagines that having had to use the name so often here, Judd Winick probably wishes he’d called his major villain something other than Razorwark, which isn’t the best, is it? That’s him in red on the cover fighting Hilo, with Izzy in the middle. Then Everything Went Wrong lived up to the title, as by the end Izzy seemed to have allied with Razorwark, the authorities were again attempting to capture Hilo, and this time Gina as well. We’ve been here before, and it didn’t go well, and that was before Hilo and Gina had Polly the magic cat alongside them.

Despite Hilo being to all intents and purposes a superhero, Winick has steered clear of the all-out superhero slugfest, but not here. Razorwark is the big villain, the Darkseid or Thanos equivalent, and there’s no disposing of him in a couple of pages. It’s a judgement call, possibly thrilling for younger readers, but meaning there’s less going on overall despite being counterpointed by a second conflict requiring the entire supporting cast.

A warning is perhaps due that younger readers might be upset at some of what happens. Tragedy plays a part, and there could be tears on the agenda, but the way Winick finishes everything is notably smart for not actually depending on the extended battle.

So, if everything is sorted out by the end, how come Hilo continues in Gina: The Girl Who Broke the World? You’ll just have to pick it up to discover how.