Indie Comics Review: Basilisk #4
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Publisher: Boom Studios
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Jonas Scharf
Colors: Alex Guimaraes
Letters:
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
Positives
Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Jonas Scharf have tapped into a flash forward/flashback story fest that keeps the reader intrigued about how we got to this point. Even though Regan has been abducted Hannah, that doesn’t mean anything as the story develops more and more about what these five gods/creatures/people are capable of.
I am unsure if this is not a set up for Hannah as Regan appears she could readily escape at any moment, but chooses to see this story out. Regan has been communicating with the Chimera and it appears that there is some bigger role for Hannah among the Chimera.
However, the key to good story telling is to keep the reader guessing and Bunn certainly does that in his script! The art in Basilisk #4 is perfect in that the present day scenes are full of color and pop off the page. The past scenes are painted in such a way that you are watching the history of these five through a crystal ball or a murky Harry Potter dream.
This is an artist making the script work hand in hand with their skill set! Great stuff!
Positives 2.0
Bunn has a movie on his hands. Of the five Chimera, Jimmy-Boy scares me the most. He reminds me of the character portrayed in Cape Fear by Robert Deniro. He is that unsettling personality who knows no boundaries. However, there is a pecking order among the Chimera.
It is subtle, but you can tell there is a quiet respect for each others’ powers. This comic creates an “on the edge of your seat” type of read. I love reading it late at night as it really is like watching a horror movie that will surprise you.
A lot is inferred in the theater of the mind, but that is okay! Bunn is minimalist at times with this words, but Jonas Scharf bats cleanup with storytelling through his art! This team is unstoppable!
Negatives
Nah…you as a reader have the great opportunity to still get issues 1-3 and now 4. This comic is reaching a fever pitch for conflict. Round one goes to Regan and Hannah…however, we still don’t know Regan’s intent…especially now that her closest ally is possibly dead.
Verdict
This comic has the right amount of horror, dread and Tarantino-type story telling (that’s a compliment) that can easily be translated to the big screen as a movie. These kindred of the senses are scary. I am not sure how this vengeance tale is going to play out, but it definitely makes me more appreciative of all my senses.
This all out war in this issue had some casualties. The “worshippers” fell into Hannah’s meat grinder first and It’s an odd tale of vengeance and a wife/mother who has prepared for a battle against self-proclaimed gods. This battle may have had casualties, but it appears that the survivors of the Chimera are going to teach the world a lesson. Read this comic on the edge of your seat as it is written for you to do so!