Writer – Bill Mantlo
Artist – Steve Geiger
Inker – Keith Williams
Colours – Janet Jackson
Letters – Rick Parker

The final issue of Sectaurs is a good one but it ends with more of a whimper than a bang and an unfulfilled promise of more that would never materialize since this issue’s publication in 1986. That does not stop Bill Mantlo and Steve Geiger from wrapping their story up, at least the current plot though there are many unresolved plotlines that would require imagination to see them through unless some publisher were to pick the reins up of this series and continue from where this book would leave off. As far as what is contained within, the Hyve is no longer a secret and even though Spidrax has been momentarily turned away, it seems like the entirety of the Dark Domain’s forces have arrived on its doorstep and there is not much that Dargon and his friends can do to stop them. Thanks to luck or destiny or what have one, Regent Galkin and the forces from the Shining Realm soon show up, but even then, they are still outnumbered. Be that as it may, something has to be done and thankfully, Mantor managed to keep just a sliver of the power sheltered within the Hyve before it was all expunged and he uses it to their advantage. Just like the previous seven issues, Bill Mantlo writes an excellent adventure book with Steve Geiger making it look quite fantastic. They bring everything to a head in the final act and the good guys pull out a win while Dargon and company head out to discover other Hyves and hopefully find out what happened to his father, the king. The book ends with the Devora and the Dark Domain in retreat, routed for the moment while Dargon quests on and Galkin heads back to the Shining Realm, now armed with the truth of things. There is so much story left to tell with these characters it is slightly ridiculous but there was no way that Mantlo could have tied everything up in a single issue, and it is also quite sad that Marvel could not keep the book going, their success with the Micronauts and with Rom proving that it could have been a hit had they a little faith in it. Suffice it to say, whether the book’s fate was tied to the toyline, the expiration of the licence or poor sales, Sectaurs it seems was not meant for the printed world and this would be all there would ever be. A solid series with a lot of potential and still worth the read if given the chance despite being cut short.

4 out of 5