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FOUR WOMEN #3 (Best of the Week!)
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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DC Comics/Homage Comics
Writer/Artist: Sam Kieth
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Sergio Garcia
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Price: $2.95 US/$4.95 CAN |
I enjoyed Zero Girl. I enjoyed the first couple of issues of this limited series. But Sam Kieth just blows me away with this third issue. The idea at the heart of this story -- how different people react in a crisis situation -- comes clearly into focus, and it makes for riveting reading. The story disturbs and forces the reader to empathize, and perhaps the most terrifying element of all is how convincing Kieth's script really is.
Donna, Marion, Cindy and Bev remain trapped in their car, with two rapists waiting outside to abuse them in unimaginable ways. Marion figures out a way to escape from the pair, but it proves to be too slow. And so, she comes up with another option, another way to prevent Cindy from being attacked by the men. Donna, in turn, comes up with a solution for the crushed roof problem.
The key to this book's success lies in the script. The narration -- presented in the voices of Donna and her therapist discussing the story in flashback -- is wonderful. It provides something of a mystery. The reader joins the therapist in coaxing more information from Donna, trying to understand what she's saying. And then there's the dialogue. The characters' personalities come shining through. Bev's anger and stubborn streak are conveyed clearly, as does Marion's purity and confidence. Cindy's youth and inexperience hides behind her angry words.
Unlike the script, the art takes on a decidedly surreal tone, yet it still reinforces the terrifyingly genuine feel of the story. Think back to a horrible or crucial moment in your life. Chances are you have experienced that sense of warped perception, and Kieth manages to recreate it visually here. Sinclair's dark and dirty colors reinforce that tone, and the grave nature of the action.
Each of the four women in this story represent different reactions and emotions, and each is understandable and real. Donna is fear given form, while Cindy seems to represent a dichotomy of helplessness and empowerment all at once. Bev, seemingly the strongest of the quartet, seems to be the least empowered. She seems a little too accepting of what's about to happen.
It's Marion that really shines here, though; this third chapter is her story. She stands for bravery and calm and sacrifice. She represents the best of what we can be, an ideal to which the reader -- male or female -- wishes to aspire. The others represent what we probably are or would be, but Marion... she's what we could be, should be.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
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