If you’re looking for all the feels, they are in Sweet Tooth #39. The penultimate issue of the series and the conclusion of Wild Game, Jeff Lemire crafts a heartbreaking finale to Gus and Jepperd’s journey. I’ll avoid direct spoilers, but suffice it to say that this is the issue fans of the series have been simultaneously anticipating and fearing, and I can confirm that all of your fears/wishes come true.

Make no mistake, this is the issue that holds the final confrontation between Jepperd and Abbot, leaving the coming issue #40 to act as a sort of epilogue to the series as a whole. As such, this issue is jam-packed and deftly paced, but not at the expense of the necessary character beats that bring the entire arc of the series full circle. Lemire makes this issue about fathers and sons, ultimately culminating in a confrontation of feelings that has so long been simmering under the surface but never really given a chance to boil over. Here, Lemire effectively gives certain characters spectacular send-offs that not only call back to moments throughout the series but also serve to forge a new path for others.

The artwork remains consistent with what we’ve come to expect from Sweet Tooth, with several nice touches laced throughout. An opening splash page that features Abbot holding a gun to Gus’ head has the feint suggestion of a skull forming in the grey sky above, adding a grim ambience to the entire scenario. Later, as Jepperd undergoes an attack by wolf creatures, Lemire takes advantage of a two page spread that intercuts his battle with some notable moments from across the character’s history. It’s scenes like these that make this issue truly memorable and a fitting end for the story about the boy with antlers.

We’ve still got one issue to go – which Lemire promises will be far happier than this one – but issue #39 holds so much emotional resonance that you’ll be hard pressed to continue reading the rest of your comics from this week without your mind wandering back to Sweet Tooth.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks  knows the world needs more horror comic books.

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