Aspen Comics 2015
Written by Scott Lobdell
Penciled by Jordan Gunderson
Inked by John Ercek & Mark Roslan
Coloured by Valentina Pinto
Lettered by Josh Reed
The ladies headed to Atlantic City in order to free the possessed contestants of a beauty pageant, held under the spell of the Horseman, Famine. Together, they managed to free the women from his grasp. However, in Los Angeles, the Four Horsemen’s Uncle continued his merciless killing spree--with no one safe from his master plan…
Alright I loved the flashback to when Ara was a little girl. Seeing her friend, Mighty, like he was and then the result well it’s clear to me anyway that this fire elemental is not one you want to mess with. It’s gorgeously rendered visually too and the impact it leaves on the reader is great. That Gia’s mother was there to offer her and her husband’s help in training her well yeah that was nice but not as necessary though her Ara’s response well that was the kicker.
In the present however what happens here starts off okay but quickly left me feeling cheated. I can accept the fact that the Four Horsemen were able to suss out their Uncle’s plan and what he was doing to them. Through such a dramatic entrance the Horsemen arrive in the cell with their captured brother though why one seems to be missing is beyond me. That one seemingly let himself be captured so they might infiltrate and meet with the ladies is a great tactic what happened next was well not as well fleshed out as I had hoped it would be.
It felt as if two issues were combined to make one. With too much information left out for me. We get information that they are in an eternal battle with the forces of the elements but it’s kind of too glossed over. Why introduce this kind of history between them if it’s not going to be fleshed out more fully? There should have been more of an explanation as to why they’ve had this whole history more in my opinion. That and I would have really appreciated more information as to why the Horsemen have long been forbidden to raise arms against their family. After all if they have this restriction why then are they powerless against their uncle’s actions? Surely if they are threatened as such this would be a breach of that contract in some way shape or form.
While the reveal of what their uncle has planned was great it seemed as if it were too convenient. Okay so the girls know the plan and are asked to stop it so that the Horsemen can continue to exist. Lesser of two evils really but hey that’s part of a good plot twist.
The battle with the Horsemen’s uncle was also very quick considering all that’s come before and how much they’ve not been able to succeed so easily to date. While Ara’s demonstration of her powers make her a formidable opponent her being able to dismiss him so readily at the center of the Earth thus immediately ending his current threat, for now till he finds a way to free himself, was just wham bam done.
Sure the girls save the day, the President and announce their team to the world but it just seemed like it was done too quickly. I felt like there should have been another issue of this story to really have an opportunity to showcase their powers against him and how to demonstrate that their team is really needed. That the President knows of their existence can be problematic as we’ve seen with the treatment of the Blue it was all too okay thanks.
This didn’t feel like an arc ending issue. It felt like filler or that Scott didn’t know quite what to do to end it for now so he took a way out that leaves the readers hanging. It didn’t mesh with what we’ve seen out of the first four issues for me. Yes I look forward to their further adventures and the concept behind them is exciting this issue didn’t live up to expectations.