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The Woods
The Woods, Vol. 8: The Final War
A Midwestern high school is transported into the middle of an Alien forest. This is the story of what happens next.
Every hundred years, the Black City has selected a remote population from Earth and transported them to the woods. These civilizations have not always lived in harmony...but now, they must either fight in unison to turn their weapons against the technology that brought them here in the first place, or meet total elimination in the face of Isaac’s unworldly power. Will this unification of factions be enough or are they all doomed?
Written by James Tynion IV (Detective Comics, Memetic) and illustrated by Michael Dialynas (Gotham Academy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), The Woods: The Final War collects the critically acclaimed eighth arc of the best-selling series.
Every hundred years, the Black City has selected a remote population from Earth and transported them to the woods. These civilizations have not always lived in harmony...but now, they must either fight in unison to turn their weapons against the technology that brought them here in the first place, or meet total elimination in the face of Isaac’s unworldly power. Will this unification of factions be enough or are they all doomed?
Written by James Tynion IV (Detective Comics, Memetic) and illustrated by Michael Dialynas (Gotham Academy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), The Woods: The Final War collects the critically acclaimed eighth arc of the best-selling series.
112 pages, Paperback
First published December 5, 2017
15 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
James Tynion IV
1,663 books2,018 followersPrior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
February 17, 2019
This is actually just prelude to the final volume. It's a bit frustrating in that the story points are all danced around instead of just clearly spoken. Tynion hints at a lot of things, but they were WAY too subtle for me to pick up. After reading this, I have no idea what's going to happen in the final volume, just that I REALLY want to read it now!
December 23, 2017
I think I would enjoy this series much more if I read it in bigger chunks. These slim little trade paperbacks do a disservice to the narrative flow. Also, whoever comes up with the titles for these books always seems to put something on the cover that would be better for the previous or following volume. There's no final war in here.
March 19, 2021
Bullet Review:
It's obvious this series is working to the ending...but dayum, can't one single person give a clearcut answer to a fricking question?
And can someone explain why there's a bar of blue and red covering Karen and Ben's eyes?
On to the final volume!
It's obvious this series is working to the ending...but dayum, can't one single person give a clearcut answer to a fricking question?
And can someone explain why there's a bar of blue and red covering Karen and Ben's eyes?
On to the final volume!
December 16, 2017
Despite being titled 'The Final War', these four issues are more like the opening salvo, as things go from bad to worse to even worse.
While Karen tries to appeal to The Horde, and Sanami deals with the parents' reactions back on Earth, Isaac and the Black City's dark power makes its move as the pieces are laid for the last four issues.
Tynion has these characters down pat, and even though the parents were only introduced last volume, they feel like completely realized characters regardless. It still hurts when bad things happen to them, and there are a lot of bad things going on in this one.
Michael Dialynas also knows exactly what he's doing, and his use of colour in this arc is especially noticeable when the action switches from Earth to the Woods to the dream realm; it makes certain that each area and each person's story has a unique and distinct feel to it.
I thought when it was first announced that The Woods was only going to be 36 issues that it wouldn't be enough, but with 4 issues left to go, I'm 100% sure this creative team is going to stick the landing.
While Karen tries to appeal to The Horde, and Sanami deals with the parents' reactions back on Earth, Isaac and the Black City's dark power makes its move as the pieces are laid for the last four issues.
Tynion has these characters down pat, and even though the parents were only introduced last volume, they feel like completely realized characters regardless. It still hurts when bad things happen to them, and there are a lot of bad things going on in this one.
Michael Dialynas also knows exactly what he's doing, and his use of colour in this arc is especially noticeable when the action switches from Earth to the Woods to the dream realm; it makes certain that each area and each person's story has a unique and distinct feel to it.
I thought when it was first announced that The Woods was only going to be 36 issues that it wouldn't be enough, but with 4 issues left to go, I'm 100% sure this creative team is going to stick the landing.
November 9, 2018
Much as I like this series, this collection was a bit of a backwards step, kind of anti-climactic. Here's hoping Tynion can stick the final landing...
February 28, 2020
Well, to end a series about a space moon and kids on there is not an easy task. But I think this is not how you should do it. Even in the previous book, I had a problem with "going to earth stuff". And in here it is again and I do not see the point why.
Then our main villain Taisho after he is struck down by Karen just says that suddenly everything is peachy and look, take my sword... Issac is a weird green alien, armies collide, the trans kid is just there for reasons, the black guy says stuff about love because he can't have his own character... However, there are more questions than answers and when we receive an answer it is weird and unsatisfactory.
What is better in here is art. I think it really got better from the previous book. So overall I won't give two stars but I want this to end. Unfortunately, I'm not happy with this.
Then our main villain Taisho after he is struck down by Karen just says that suddenly everything is peachy and look, take my sword... Issac is a weird green alien, armies collide, the trans kid is just there for reasons, the black guy says stuff about love because he can't have his own character... However, there are more questions than answers and when we receive an answer it is weird and unsatisfactory.
What is better in here is art. I think it really got better from the previous book. So overall I won't give two stars but I want this to end. Unfortunately, I'm not happy with this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2022
Not much happened in this volume. The next book is the finale, and it felt like this was trying to lead up to that. But for the most part, this was just treading water. With a name like "The Final War", I was expecting a bit more action.
February 27, 2024
Crazy! Exhilarating! Confusing! I'm completely sucked in and feel like there's a chance I could know what's going to come next. But I don't see how we finish everything out in one issue. And I'm no longer absolutely sure who's dead and who's alive. I think I'd like this book a let less if I didn't have the next book already in my hands.
January 9, 2018
Other installments of this series were better. i'm glad the series is reaching it's climax though, because it's kind of...just not intriguing enough anymore. but that might just be because there's such a gap between me reading the last installment and me reading this....
July 6, 2024
This one had some pretty awesome moments.
May 31, 2023
I simultaneously never want this to end and NEED TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS!
June 15, 2025
Book Review: The Woods Vol. 8 – The Final War
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas close out The Woods saga with a cosmic crescendo in The Final War, an arc that is as emotionally raw as it is visually explosive.
At long last, the twisted puzzle of the Black City unveils its chilling logic. This isn’t just a war for survival—it’s a reckoning for generations ripped from Earth and cast into an unforgiving alien crucible. Tynion doesn’t pull punches: loyalties fracture, ideologies clash, and the line between sacrifice and salvation gets murky fast.
What makes this finale sing isn’t just the scope—though Dialynas’s sprawling battle sequences and alien tech designs are as wild and unrelenting as ever—it’s the humanity thrumming underneath. The characters we’ve followed from confused teens to battered leaders are battle-forged and beautifully broken. Isaac’s godlike menace is terrifying not because of what he can do, but because of what he makes everyone else become.
The final volume demands unity where there has been only chaos—and yet, it questions whether true unity can exist when the very system was designed to divide. It’s thrilling. It’s devastating. It’s exactly the kind of finale that earns every panel of its eight-volume journey.
The Woods doesn’t just end with a war. It ends with clarity. And maybe, just maybe, the woods gave something back after all.
I’m already looking forward to Volume 9 with equal parts dread and excitement—because if this is the calm before the end, I know the storm’s still coming.
Happy reading 🪐📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas close out The Woods saga with a cosmic crescendo in The Final War, an arc that is as emotionally raw as it is visually explosive.
At long last, the twisted puzzle of the Black City unveils its chilling logic. This isn’t just a war for survival—it’s a reckoning for generations ripped from Earth and cast into an unforgiving alien crucible. Tynion doesn’t pull punches: loyalties fracture, ideologies clash, and the line between sacrifice and salvation gets murky fast.
What makes this finale sing isn’t just the scope—though Dialynas’s sprawling battle sequences and alien tech designs are as wild and unrelenting as ever—it’s the humanity thrumming underneath. The characters we’ve followed from confused teens to battered leaders are battle-forged and beautifully broken. Isaac’s godlike menace is terrifying not because of what he can do, but because of what he makes everyone else become.
The final volume demands unity where there has been only chaos—and yet, it questions whether true unity can exist when the very system was designed to divide. It’s thrilling. It’s devastating. It’s exactly the kind of finale that earns every panel of its eight-volume journey.
The Woods doesn’t just end with a war. It ends with clarity. And maybe, just maybe, the woods gave something back after all.
I’m already looking forward to Volume 9 with equal parts dread and excitement—because if this is the calm before the end, I know the storm’s still coming.
Happy reading 🪐📚
August 27, 2018
Stuff just got real!
On the cliff hanger that the last book and really every book ends on I was more than itching to dive into this one. I've tried showing restraint with this series by not reading them so close together so the anticipation would be greater... When it comes to this volume I simply was not strong enough. I had to read it immediately, and boy did it not disappoint.
Just like all the rest the artwork is among some of the greatest I've seen. Its just my style and the reason I read graphic novels. But how this story has evolved into how we all grow and are changed by events outside our comfort zone has made me really become invested in these characters. I love the change these kids have made. They are making the tough decisions and following the roughest paths. Looking back at the first its crazy to see how much they have grown and most importantly how they have decided to live their life, especially when it wasn't the one they chose.
Seeing more of the people they left behind on Earth we see how crazy people become when faced with the unexplainable and impossible. All while a war is forming and our heroes have to make radical plans and overcome impossible odds. Things High School kids should never have to deal with. But these aren't kids anymore. Learning more about the lore of the planet we are left to wonder "How are they going to make it back home, or even alive?"
This and lately every book has ramped up the intensity and this book takes it in a new direction. Its cool to see different sides and other perspectives such as the people back on Earth but also the enemy up on the planet that our heroes are trapped on. I can't believe that I only have one volume left. I feel like I have gone through the ringer with this series and I both want them to find their way back but in turn I don't want it to end.
On the cliff hanger that the last book and really every book ends on I was more than itching to dive into this one. I've tried showing restraint with this series by not reading them so close together so the anticipation would be greater... When it comes to this volume I simply was not strong enough. I had to read it immediately, and boy did it not disappoint.
Just like all the rest the artwork is among some of the greatest I've seen. Its just my style and the reason I read graphic novels. But how this story has evolved into how we all grow and are changed by events outside our comfort zone has made me really become invested in these characters. I love the change these kids have made. They are making the tough decisions and following the roughest paths. Looking back at the first its crazy to see how much they have grown and most importantly how they have decided to live their life, especially when it wasn't the one they chose.
Seeing more of the people they left behind on Earth we see how crazy people become when faced with the unexplainable and impossible. All while a war is forming and our heroes have to make radical plans and overcome impossible odds. Things High School kids should never have to deal with. But these aren't kids anymore. Learning more about the lore of the planet we are left to wonder "How are they going to make it back home, or even alive?"
This and lately every book has ramped up the intensity and this book takes it in a new direction. Its cool to see different sides and other perspectives such as the people back on Earth but also the enemy up on the planet that our heroes are trapped on. I can't believe that I only have one volume left. I feel like I have gone through the ringer with this series and I both want them to find their way back but in turn I don't want it to end.
Read
April 10, 2020For a book subtitled “The Final War,” there’s very little war going on here. This is the penultimate volume of the series and it’s mostly set up for the last four issues. I get it, but it’s somewhat jarring because this whole story has thrived on chaos and uncertainty; now that we know (more or less) what the students are facing there’s bizarrely little tension. Oh, we still get good moments with Karen, plus interesting developments on Earth. But I think Tynion and Dialynas are treading water a bit. Plus there are still answers we’re waiting for that get danced around in these pages.
March 15, 2020
(4 of 5 for grand finale kickoff)
Well, the end of this story is here. It takes speed and energy heading to a grand ending. I like that, and so far I still getting fond of the art (I like the wood scenes, the tint of the colour). I believe that FBI intermezzo wasn't necessary (at least in the way it was executed) but the rest of the story was great and I really enjoyed that drama.
Well, the end of this story is here. It takes speed and energy heading to a grand ending. I like that, and so far I still getting fond of the art (I like the wood scenes, the tint of the colour). I believe that FBI intermezzo wasn't necessary (at least in the way it was executed) but the rest of the story was great and I really enjoyed that drama.
October 27, 2019
This one read quick. The story is picking up on two worlds now. There are some clunky bits, like the bad guy’s succession plan that comes put of left field a bit, but beyond that the story is moving along nicely.
July 8, 2018
Fantastic comic series! Great, original, and thoughtful story, bursting with diversity, compassion, and imagination. Wonderful characters. Absolutely loved it!
August 2, 2019
War is coming to Earth. It's always hard to convince people of the truth even with hard evidence.
December 30, 2019
Oh. My. Goodness. This is really getting good!!!!
December 21, 2021
*I'll post a full review of the series once I'm done.*
August 19, 2022
Sanami is back on earth, with Mr. Robot, and her father and the other adults will try to deal with it. And Taisho make his most important move.
Ok, everything is developing to a big ending. Really hope that Tynion and Dialynas will not let me down!
Ok, everything is developing to a big ending. Really hope that Tynion and Dialynas will not let me down!
October 26, 2025
Read as part of my October 2025 spooky reading marathon (book eleven).
January 4, 2020
This series was free to "borrow" on comixology, so continued reading it after being extremely unimpressed by the first few volumes, and it actually got somewhat better after several volumes.
August 10, 2018
While the titular war only really arrives with the end of the volume, the book sets everything up for the apocalyptic finale that started rolling in last volume.
Below here this review has major spoilers for previous volumes, just in case somebody reading it has, for some reason, not read the last volume yet.
Sanami, having returned home at the end of volume seven, is in FBI custody with one parent each of Karen, Adrian, and Maria. Dr. Robert, who was approached by an unidentified green-glowing somebody in the last pages of volume seven arrives, green-eyed and decisive and begins freeing all of them. How? For whom? We get a splash page answer that ends that arc.
Back on the other side of the Universe, Karen faces Taithos, Ben and Sander face other members of the horde, and Isaac makes a return appearance following his apparent transformation into a vessel of the world's super-computer in volume seven.
So where to from here? It's still absolutely unclear at the end of the volume. I can't wait to get the next read and figure it all out.
Below here this review has major spoilers for previous volumes, just in case somebody reading it has, for some reason, not read the last volume yet.
Sanami, having returned home at the end of volume seven, is in FBI custody with one parent each of Karen, Adrian, and Maria. Dr. Robert, who was approached by an unidentified green-glowing somebody in the last pages of volume seven arrives, green-eyed and decisive and begins freeing all of them. How? For whom? We get a splash page answer that ends that arc.
Back on the other side of the Universe, Karen faces Taithos, Ben and Sander face other members of the horde, and Isaac makes a return appearance following his apparent transformation into a vessel of the world's super-computer in volume seven.
So where to from here? It's still absolutely unclear at the end of the volume. I can't wait to get the next read and figure it all out.
June 15, 2019
Nope, it's not the final war. As is standard with this graphic novel, there's a lot happening -- now on earth with Sanami, as well as on the alien moon with Karen and Ben. I love that we see more of Ben here too because I'm all for the cinnamon roll love! I'm just really really really hoping that he doesn't die because after GoT it seems like all authors don't mind killing off favorites when least expected! Also, YES KAREN. She's finally stepping up and owning her shit. There's some weird stuff that happens on earth with the adults and the FBI but things do end up turning around and the adults manage to get themselves together to be helpful. And Adrian! I'm liking this Adrian a lot more than I did in the beginning. Let's see how long that lasts! You can read my full review on my blog.
February 24, 2023
The back page blurb gives it away. This is a big battle with the idea that reunification is a goal towards a common enemy.
Once again, my biggest issue is the Manifest Destiny trope and the exceptionalism. I mean, I guess we had something similar happen with Joan of Arc but we know how that turned out. There are several good historic descriptions along with several great works that talk about how much or how little Joan was really in control of her destiny.
I do hope that we have some of that stuff in here otherwise this feels like one of those standard teen coming of age books. There almost feels like an inevitable happy-ish ending. I mean the heroes have to lose something, right? But everything will turn out in the end.
I really hope not and it is this dread and curiosity at what the writer will do that have me more interested in finishing rather than the story itself. I don't think that was the intention.
Once again, my biggest issue is the Manifest Destiny trope and the exceptionalism. I mean, I guess we had something similar happen with Joan of Arc but we know how that turned out. There are several good historic descriptions along with several great works that talk about how much or how little Joan was really in control of her destiny.
I do hope that we have some of that stuff in here otherwise this feels like one of those standard teen coming of age books. There almost feels like an inevitable happy-ish ending. I mean the heroes have to lose something, right? But everything will turn out in the end.
I really hope not and it is this dread and curiosity at what the writer will do that have me more interested in finishing rather than the story itself. I don't think that was the intention.
June 19, 2018
The Woods series didn't really capture my attention until maybe the third or fourth volume. Why I stuck with it until then, I'll never know, but I'm glad I did because here, in the penultimate volume, things are starting to get really good.
As with all "penultimate volumes," the storyline primarily exists to set up the actual finale (PS: the title is a lie). But it's still good fun as characters start to reunite, figure out how they need to defeat the Black City, and defeat the lesser enemies still remaining. That said, Karen's big showpiece battle with the leader of the Horde is mostly for show. Sanami back on Earth is exciting, though, and the other characters continue to grow in fascinating, true ways. Really glad I stuck with this series.
As with all "penultimate volumes," the storyline primarily exists to set up the actual finale (PS: the title is a lie). But it's still good fun as characters start to reunite, figure out how they need to defeat the Black City, and defeat the lesser enemies still remaining. That said, Karen's big showpiece battle with the leader of the Horde is mostly for show. Sanami back on Earth is exciting, though, and the other characters continue to grow in fascinating, true ways. Really glad I stuck with this series.
June 13, 2021
I'm so confused. So, let me see if I can get this straight: Sanami and Doctor Robot are back on earth. Adrian's mom and Maria's dad know each other, and somehow loop in Sanami's dad. Also, Karen's mom is doing something.
Back on the planet-computer, Ben and Sander have paired up to try to get Ghost Isaac to do something, or perhaps it's Ghost Adrian. I really can't tell. The timelines, locations, and similarities in artwork make it difficult to tell who's who.
I don't think this is a bad series by any means. I wonder if it's just a bad compilation of individual issues that make the story so choppy and difficult to follow. I do think it would be better without New London or without the Horde. Neither is developed enough to be interesting, but just enough to be distracting.
Nice moment with Ben and Isaac though. The author and illustrators really nail it with their relationship.
March 4, 2019
The name is a misnomer; this is a precursor as the war itself doesn't happen here. Sanami is trying to marshal forces on Earth, while Karen and Ben are trying to resolve issues with the horde to instead face the larger evil. Unfortunately, that leads to an issue or two of pretty unfathomable moments in the fortress. The plot on Earth is a little more interesting, but all of it, while useful in moving the story forward, don't really tell much of a story in and of themselves. The art is still good, going a little weird for a couple issues. But everything is getting tied together, and this is pivotal in setting up the final sequence.
October 3, 2019
2.5 stars. I should have DNF'ed this series after Vol. 2, or maybe Vol. 4. Why have I read so many volumes of something that isn't really working for me? It has such good LGBT+ representation, and such an interesting concept, that I continued despite being slightly bored. I don't think I rated a volume less than 3 stars before this one, because it seemed like a me problem, and I continued because I was determined to know the long game. At this point I don't really care anymore, but there's only one volume to go and I'm not a quitter, so on to the next one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews