Three Shadowpact teams, from the past, the present and the future join forces to fight a living sun that threatens to consume the universe.

This title has always been inventive, coming up with bizarre characters and new concepts almost casually. In this issue we meet a Victorian-age version of the Pact and a futuristic team, each with its own colorful characters. We also learn more about the evil "Sun King" and his dire plans.

At the same time, this title also has trouble is building up a sense of excitement and suspense. Despite the looming threat of universal destruction, the Shadowpact(s) never seem to be in real danger. They show off their powers in a casual manner, almost like the light-hearted superheroes in a Saturday morning cartoon. The Sun King gets a few scenes to demonstrate how powerful he is but other than that, the Shadowpact are just left to slug it out with ugly monsters-- basically the same thing they do every week.

The art has a solidity to it that makes all the strange creatures look realistic and believable. But it also keeps them from looking very frightening and otherworldly. The Sun King almost looks comical, like a character from a children's book. And yet, he is supposed to be a threat to the multiverse.

Sadly, this book seems slated for cancellation. Perhaps this led the creative team to try to jam too many details in the last issues in an attempt to wrap things up. But this issue pretty much sums up the attractions and problems of the SHADOWPACT comicbook. It is filled with great ideas but falls short in execution.

Just the same, this issue gets a decent three stars out of five.