Devil’s Reign has been nothing but tight in its plot development and character work from the very start. It’s melodrama to a T with superheroes navigating a troubling situation as Kingpin has made vigilante justice illegal in New York City. In the fourth issue in the six-issue series, enlightenment ensues for the heroes — and for Kingpin.
Picking up where the last issue left off, Kingpin wants to kidnap the Purple Man’s children so as to control the minds of voters and win his reelection. Meanwhile, Mr. Fantastic, Moon Knight, Invisible Woman, and Tony Stark need to break out of prison. The preview features those heroes doing their best prison break now freed from their power dampeners.
As with previous chapters, the needle moves very slowly but the character work is incredible. The art by Marco Checchetto and colors by Marcio Menyz are gritty and feel as close to TV as we could get as far as realism. Characters have a look that says something about them. Kingpin is domineering and a force while Doc Ock is a bit brash and rough around the edges. This book is a character drama from cover to cover and it shows many ways.
Writer Chip Zdarsky captures the personality of each character expertly through dialogue. Invisible Woman has a confidence that’s unmistakable, whereas Moon Knight has a bit of an edge. In many ways the series feels like a tightly-written show that moves along as well as, if not better than, anything on TV today.
Checchetto takes things to another level when it comes to superhero costumes. Nova, for instance, has an almost comical red star jutting from his helmet that makes him look outlandish and unreal. That suits a character like Nova, who is fighting in the city streets. Meanwhile, Rhino’s skin has interesting detail that makes it look more like skin than a flat surface.
Since the story zooms in on key character interactions and their various dynamics, it continues to not quite feel like an event. It’s zeroing in very well, however, and for me, that’s all that matters.
Similar to Devil’s Reign #3, issue #4 moves the plot forward slightly, but packs a character-driven punch. There are only two issues left, but this issue does a lot to set up an exciting finish to the event. No matter what though, this is the best superhero character drama in comics today.
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