In 2012, Emerson Abreu unveiled one of his most ambitious projects for Monica’s Teen Gang: The "End of the World Super Saga", a story arc that would be told over the course of several issues and deal with the heroes trying to prevent The End of the World as We Know It. It quickly became one of the manga's most popular storylines, thanks to its surprisingly dark tone, clever writing and massive amounts of Continuity Nods to the classic comics. I'll review each chapter individually:
Shadows From the Past: Monica is haunted by a monster in her dreams, and her nightmares coincide with the return of one of her childhood bullies. I really wanted to like this arc, since it’s the one that started it all, but it’s too rough around the edges. Monica is a Jerkass for most of the story, and though she earns some points by apologizing to Sofia, her treatment of Jim in the second half makes her really unsympathetic overall. Penha is the Big Bad, but she is pretty forgettable compared to her dragon Agnes, who completely steals the show. Add in a Deus ex Machina in the form of Angelo saving the day (and no, lampshading his sudden appearance does not make it any better) and an overly melodramatic ending, and you’ve got one of the Saga’s least interesting chapters. The artwork is good, and it’s still worth a read, but it pales in comparison with what comes next. 3/5
Halloween: The gang is organizing a Halloween party, when a vengeful spirit shows up to terrorize them. The premise is simple, but it works, and the story must be read at least twice in order to appreciate one of the plot twists. It also sets up the events of “The Reverse Tower”, which... well, more on that later. 4/5
Umbra: The gang travels to a city that is being haunted by the spirits of seven children. Saying anything more about the plot would ruin the twist ending, but this one regularly takes the top spot in "Best Monica’s Teen Gang stories" lists for a good reason. If you are only going to read one story from the manga, make it this one. 5/5
Shadows from the Future: The girls visit Sunny’s beach house and find out what would have happened to the world if they had failed to stop the Big Bad from the previous arc. The first half of the story is very light-hearted, though it gets darker somewhere around the middle. I wasn’t a fan of the comic relief, especially when it comes to Zé Beto and Crispiano, whose stupidity reaches exasperating levels. The biggest problem with this two-parter is that it only exists to tie up some loose ends from "Umbra" and set up the next story arcs, thus failing to stand out on its own. 3/5
Heirs of the Earth: A crossover with Chuck Billy's manga. The ecosystem of a village mysteriously dies out, so Franklin and the gang show up to investigate, eventually uncovering the secrets of an ancient civilization. Not much to say, it’s just a good story where almost everyone gets an opportunity to shine. 4/5
The Reverse Tower: While visiting the hospital where Penha is being treated, the gang comes across a patient with unusual symptoms, who appears to be the victim of a supernatural phenomenon. The only arc on this list that comes close to topping "Umbra". Great character interactions, a gripping story and an incredible reimagining of one of the comic’s most iconic villains. The arc does have a major flaw in that it sets up many mysteries and ends up leaving most of them unsolved, which is unfortunate given the Saga’s uncertain future. Still, this one is a must-read (just be warned that it also contains some of the most grotesque imagery in the entire manga). 5/5
The Haunted Amusement Park: Big Sunny takes the gang to an abandoned amusement park, where they fall victim to an old enemy’s trap. As the last chapter to be published before the manga’s Soft Reboot, it is the unofficial conclusion to the End of the World Saga. Unfortunately, the series ends not with a bang, but a whimper. The story is plagued with cringy fart jokes, and the fact it is a parody of memetic games like Five Nights at Freddy's and Pokémon GO makes it feel dated. There are some redeeming qualities (Hummer as a cyborg ninja never fails to amuse me), but overall, I did not enjoy this one. 2/5
In conclusion, the "End of the World Super Saga" is a great take on the franchise, and is bound to bring smiles to the faces of anyone who is a fan of Monica’s Gang. While I did not enjoy all the chapters, I can definitely agree when readers say that it’s the best thing to ever come out of the manga. Although it's impossible to predict when or if the Saga will ever reach its intended conclusion, it’s safe to say that these stories will always be fondly remembered by fans.
The End of The World Saga - Chapter by Chapter Analysis
In 2012, Emerson Abreu unveiled one of his most ambitious projects for Monica’s Teen Gang: The "End of the World Super Saga", a story arc that would be told over the course of several issues and deal with the heroes trying to prevent The End of the World as We Know It. It quickly became one of the manga's most popular storylines, thanks to its surprisingly dark tone, clever writing and massive amounts of Continuity Nods to the classic comics. I'll review each chapter individually:
In conclusion, the "End of the World Super Saga" is a great take on the franchise, and is bound to bring smiles to the faces of anyone who is a fan of Monica’s Gang. While I did not enjoy all the chapters, I can definitely agree when readers say that it’s the best thing to ever come out of the manga. Although it's impossible to predict when or if the Saga will ever reach its intended conclusion, it’s safe to say that these stories will always be fondly remembered by fans.