For a while now I’ve been behind on this series and after catching up I can only say that I regret that I ever fell behind. The first two issues were good, but they were a bit reminiscent of the first volume of the series. The third issue changed the landscape significantly and this fourth issue continued on the new and fresh course making this one of the best ongoing horror themed stories on the market. Rather than start with the story I’m going to start with the art because Juan Ferreyra’s artwork is so much of what makes this story and world work. What’s been a staple in this series is Swivel harvesting crops in the real world. The eerie way he walks down a crowded city street and just begins taking off people’s fingers in disturbing ways. What’s particularly creepy in this issue is that Swivel feeds some fingers to pigeons and turns them into finger birds… it’s fucking disturbing, but also one the coolest creature designs I’ve ever seen. Ferreyra’s imagination is fantastic and with every new opportunity to showcase it he excels. But here’s the key thing, he never lets the creature designs get in the way of the story.
This issue picks up with Reece still stuck in the Hungry World with Declan being abducted by Swivel. He tells her to leave through the door in front of her, but having been there before Reece doesn’t believe him… she’s right to do so. When she finally opens the door she finds an even more disturbing version of Swivel on the other side. She runs from him and begins to once again go through Declan’s life. Along the way she runs into creatures and they inform her that they always keep their word, but in a very ominous suggestion they also keep everything.
Paul Tobin is a skilled veteran writer of the comic industry, but this really is the best thing he’s written thus far. It’s honestly already going to be hard for him to top, but you know what that’s okay. So many writer continue to produce great comics after producing a truly fantastic series and if this ends up being Tobin’s, well I don’t see that as a bad thing at all.
In particular I like how Tobin has shifted Reece back into the limelight and made her the driving force of the narrative. She had a tremendous role in the last series, but she became a bit damsel-ish. In this series she started that way, but now that she’s on her own she’s hell-bent on not going insane which is turning her into a fearless character. It’s a solid evolution for the character and will go a long way in keeping the series interesting.
There are a ton of comics out this week, but don’t miss this one. It continues to be really good and is very unique, especially in the world of horror. I’m just glad that there’s more to come for it after this story arc.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Paul Tobin Artist: Juan Ferreyra Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 1/28/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital