It seems lately I’ve been witnessing a number of comics come to an end. In the case of Wish^3, I’ve been expecting the end for a while now; Sylvia T. Leung made no bones about the fact the comic was designed with a beginning, a middle, and an end. This wasn’t a trumped-up ending that was thrown together because she’d gotten tired from the comic, but rather one long planned for. And I must admit that while part of me is disappointed at how quickly the comic concluded, I’m also glad it ended as it did. This partly has to do with the recent ending of another comic favorite of mine, Inverloch.

The problem I had with Inverloch’s ending was it felt remarkably lackluster. I believe that part of this lies with the fact this was a true denouement (in literary terms). There was little tension left going into the epilogue, and Sarah Ellerton didn’t manage to recapture that spark from earlier to keep fans on their toes. The story ended a chapter earlier, with Kayn’dar talking to Acheron’s mother about what had happened… and his promise to keep the da’kor safe. The remainder of that tale wrapped up loose ends but held none of the power or energy of that which had come before. And as a result, in many ways Inverloch’s ending felt empty.

In some ways Wish^3 suffers the reverse problem. Its epilogue is but a few pages long. The ending reveals the final fates of our protagonist, his brother Gabe and best friend Paige, and of Sanada (formerly Himitsu) and Hisako… but offers little explanation as to why those who have come forward in time did so (even if they are much happier now). While we’re not given all the answers (of relationships and more), the comic also doesn’t linger and retains the energy it had coming through the comic’s climax just a short time before. And if fans wish there was more to the tale… well, that just tells you it’s a story worth reading.