Torrent is a new series from Image Comics with fresh with exciting takes on a superhero embroiled in a revenge story. Marc Guggenheim and Justin Greenwood have set the stage for Crackjack to seek revenge as her life has been burned to the ground, and the superheroes she once served with refuse to help. With bodies piling up, the super team is fed up and seeking to stop Crackjack as soon as possible. Well, they can certainly try.
If you like superhero fight scenes, you’ll love Torrent #4. It opens with Crackjack fighting a hero who is clearly an homage to Superman. He can fly, has a cape, and is super strong. Crackjack’s powers aren’t even close to matching up with him, but she’s feisty and has a lot more to lose if she can’t get the revenge she seeks.
This opening fight scene leads to the ramifications of Crackjack getting far worse, which means she has to fight the rest of the superheroes on the super team in this universe. Greenwood makes every punch, dodge, and last-second trick exciting with a pleasing line that edges the cartoony and is realistic at the same time. The colors by Rico Renzi pop, with lots of purples used in the opening fight.
The opening battle is quite exciting.
Credit: Image
We also get to see Crossbow, Madam Icon, Ten-Force, Knightwoman, and an old fling of Crackjack try to stop her, but since she knows them as well as any villain, she seems to have the edge. She’s also willing to die to get what she wants, and it’s fun to see how she can top these overpowered heroes. Expect the Kirby crackle, fun sea powers, and a bold move against a Batman homage of a character.
As far as emotion and Crackjack’s persona, there’s not a lot on the page in this issue. She’s got blinders on, likely not thinking about the trauma too much to avoid breaking down, but it also means character development is very thin in this issue. Her humanity is absent, so to speak, and while the Terminator, take-no-prisoners approach is badass, it leaves you wanting.
It’s not all fight comics, though. The battling leads to Crackjack getting a major blow to her abilities, which increases the stakes as she enters the fifth issue. There’s also a cliffhanger that should complicate things in the future.
I’m not exactly sure how, but Crackjack will likely be very peeved. The character revealed in the cliffhanger is still alive. So far, she hasn’t had to face her actions–she’s too upset to stop and realize how immoral it all is–but maybe the return of a character will make her rethink things.
Torrent #4 doesn’t hold back with the no holds barred superhero fight scenes. This issue is like a side quest as Crackjack must fight through the world’s greatest heroes, and she’s severely outmatched. That said, the creators show nothing can stop a grieving mother who seeks justice in any way she can. Torrent continues to take chances in the best of ways pleasing anyone who liked Image’s other excellent take on heroes, Invincible.
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