Each issue of this series continues to be better than the last and the fourth issue continues that trend. The history of the story is so rich that I just want to stay and hear Tommy talk about his life and his family’s history. We’ve learned a lot about Tommy over the course of the last two issues. We’ve also learned that all of the souls lost in 9/11 have been trapped in the location, but we haven’t understood why. Well it looks like Tommy has figured it out, but he needs the help of Emma Caldwell the woman that used to play bass in his band and taught their former drummer Martin Delgado an incantation that could be playing a role in everything that’s happening.
The issue explains a lot of what’s happening, but it doesn’t just stop there. It goes into details about Tommy and Emma’s past. It of course includes Martin as well as I’m sure his role is going to continue to be an aspect of the story. Again I haven’t told you much of the story, but I’m going to leave it there so nothing is spoiled for you. Make no mistake, this is an important issue in the series.
Chris Miskiewicz’s writing continues to grow the world and the characters. Tommy has more and more depth each issue and he seems to be actually changing from the person we met in the beginning. The dialogue is wonderful and it really says something when you can write a character with an accent and not have to rely on awkward spellings or stereotypes to have it come across. It’s more about the construction of the sentences and Miskiewicz does that for Emma’s British accent. The narration which is Tommy typing in his blog also continues to be very strong and add little nuances to the story and Tommy’s personality.
Palle Schmidt doesn’t have as many panels in this issue to just go off on. The last issue really showcased his artwork and so it may seem like a disappointment that he didn’t get to do the same here, but I think it speaks wonders for his talent that he was able to go from an issue that was a visual rollercoaster to this issue which was pulled back and contained. The reason being that he still delivers fantastic art that’s on par with the last issue; there are a lot of conversations in the issue and so it’s impressive to still be captivated by the art.
Yet again I find myself writing a shorter review for this book. It’s a hard one to talk about without spoiling so don’t mistake my briefness for lack of interesting as it’s quite the opposite. I can’t get enough of this story and it’s become one of the first titles I read upon its release. The only thing that bothers me about it is the “of 8” on the cover because eight just isn’t enough. I hope the creators are already planning a second volume because I’m going to need it. The series might be half over, but it’s still worth the time it would take to get caught up.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Chris Miskiewicz Artist: Palle Schmidt Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/10/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital