I’m just going to go ahead and start by saying that Tomboy is the best series on the market right now. You can argue and saying something like Saga or some Marvel crap is actually the best thing, but I assure you I will never agree. Tomboy is frankly amazing. What gets me about this story is that it continues to offer a supernatural and scientific answer to everything that we’re seeing. In the last issue we learned that the grandpa may have brought something back from the war with him that’s been passed down to his son and granddaughter. They all see their dead loved ones, be it a lost love or a friend. But then we’re given another explanation. The drug that is at the center of the story, the one that caused the deaths of Addy’s best friend Nick and his father. The controversy around the drug is that in a small percentage of people it causes extreme psychosis and homicidal tendencies…
I’m so confused but in the best possible way because I can’t decide which is the cause or if they’re both a factor and frankly I don’t think creator Mia Goodwin is actually going to tell us. I think you’ll just have to decide for yourself and that’s okay. It keeps me thinking about this series for an entire month as I wait for the next issue to slam through it.
As for the story in this issue, we pick up three months after the first murders. Addy is heading back to school, but murdering people on the list that she took from the dirty cops. Her father in the meantime has stopped coming home and works the case nonstop. The issue basically follows the two of them as they try to ease back into their normal life i.e., school and work. We also finally meet the evil queen and damn… she’s evil.
I have only one personal, emphasis on personal, gripe about the art this go around. There’s not enough of the awesome transition panels that the previous issues have had. There’s some new types of transitions, but I craved more of the animated type transitions. Such a petty gripe I know, but otherwise the art continues to be flawless. Colorist Michelle Wong makes the issue beautiful to look at and gives the art a personality that I absolutely love.
Just to warn you I’ll probably spoil the hell out of the next issue. I’m giving you a month’s notice because I can’t continue reviewing this series without talking about the really deep conversational parts like the ending of this issue. Ah fuck it let’s do it for this issue, spoiler ahead. When Nick says, “I’m whatever you need me to be” I got chills. Total game changer because I don’t know what to make of the ghosts that are haunting them. Sure they’re having Addy kill, but she’s an anti-hero killing bad people. I mean I don’t feel bad when the Punisher kills bad people. But it feels as if she’s being hardcore manipulated and that evokes a bunch of emotions. It makes me think of that first scene in the first issue and wonder how it’s all going to end. How much has she been manipulated? And then in asking that I go back to the drug that she’s taking and how it could also be effecting her. The story goes in a circle. Each questions brings about another question until we’re all Ouroboros up in this joint!
The bottom line is that this book is too fucking good to not be reading. If you’re not reading by now you’re just mistreating yourself. If you love the comic book medium, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t check out Tomboy.
Score: 5/5
Tomboy #4 Writer/Artist: Mia Goodwin Colorist: Michelle Wong Publisher: Action Lab/Danger Zone Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/2/16 Format: Print/Digital