I can’t think of a conclusion more underwhelming than The White Suits. The previous three issues continued to be better and better with each issue offering more of the story and with it more action. This fourth issue completely bucks the trend. The mystery of the “White Suits” is solved, but it was neither rewarding nor interesting. Instead it was a grotesque amount of exposition from beginning to end. Sarah and Prizrak are captured by the leader of the White Suits and taken on a plane which is basically a bomb. The leader killed Sarah’s dad so she knows who he is… kinda. He tells her everything about the White Suits and their mission because it was her father that setup their outfit. We learn Prizrak’s past and it’s pretty lame. Everything ends the way you’d expect with the exception of the last few pages which should cause you to release a pretty heavy “sigh.”
I’m not going to be an ass and tell you who lives and who dies, but it’s not hard to figure out. The book kinda functions as a round in that regard. Prizrak’s storyline was the biggest let down as it just boils down to him having killed his wife and kid due to PTSD, but rather addressing a real problem it just throws it in there to make him look like a dick. The conclusion of his storyline is him living a happy life even though he’s killed hundreds of people including his own family. Why he’s rewarded with anything is beyond me.
Sarah’s storyline made zero sense. She knows all these government secrets and has been out for revenge for her father who had basically turned Red. Her revenge was a bit too passionate for a girl who probably never really saw her father based on how deep cover his mission was. If I didn’t know my father growing up and found out he was betrayed and murdered (how she knew he was betrayed beforehand wasn’t explained) I don’t think I would grab the sawed off shotgun and jump on my bike and start looking for answers.
Small Spoiler Ahead
At one point she says, “This is for my mother” and then shots Prizrak in the eye. It doesn’t seem as if Prizrak was her father based on the fact that it’s stated that his character didn’t found the White Suits and Sarah’s father did, but it’s never really clear what the hell that means. Was she saying it to another person? If so it’s placed terribly and gives the impression that she’s Prizrak’s daughter and survived… which she’s not so it just becomes a misplaced and useless line with the potential to jumble up the timeline.
The writing was as I said all exposition. The entire background of the story is revealed, no mysteries are left dangling and frankly as the reader we’re giving too many fine details to deal with. I wouldn’t say the bad guy goes all James Bond villain on Sarah, but only because he walks her through everything. How they got the money, how they got into the country, where they got the chemicals, what they’re doing after they drop the bomb, what he’s feeling, etc., etc. It gets to the point that you really don’t care what anyone is saying because it’s useless. They may have well just said “I’m the bad guy wait for the sequence in which you try to overthrow me, then the conclusion and a bad setup for a sequel.
The art is great, but it doesn’t save the story. Sure there were some brilliant panels and the coloring and layouts remain amazing, but it can only do so much. All the imagination for this series is gone in this issue. Everything that happens on the plane is boring and boring to look at. Prizrak’s fight wasn’t setup in an interesting manner and it looked like two men that had never fought anyone in their life trying to fight each other.
The ending was definitely the worst thing about the entire issue and story in general. It was a Mario Brothers Movie ending and in my opinion completely invalidated the story I just finished reading. The character’s journeys are undone for a cheap setup for a sequel. The real shame is that after reading this issue I don’t particularly have interest in a sequel.
Score: 2/5
Writer: Frank Barbiere Artist: Toby Cypress Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 7/2/14 Format: Mini-Series, Print/Digital