The Seasons has been the kind of comic book for dreamers, filled with whimsy like nothing else. Focused on one of the four Seasons sisters, each with a different first name for a different season, the endearing town they grew up in is being infiltrated by a circus. In The Seasons #4, we learn through a dark fairy tale why they may be there and what they’re up to.
Picking up where we left off, Spring is still reeling from two clowns breaking into her home, and her sister Winter is set to send her to an orphanage. Spring needs to figure out what they were after, with time of the essence to convince her sister and the town that the circus is bad news.
If the dread wasn’t obvious from the incredible main cover by Paul Azaceta, this story will certainly instill it. That all starts when Spring finds a story in Autumn’s diary, which details an adventurous king who encounters a crypt in what looks like ancient Egypt. He makes a bargain, and while he seems perfectly happy with the deal, it’s clear it was all a sham. It’s a nice fairy tale story within the story that adds an adventurous feel to the larger story.
Time for Spring to do some investigating.
Credit: Image
From there, the story catches us up with Summer, who is a needy super diva who has been invited to the circus. Rick Remender does a good job capturing her two-faced nature as she’s quite mean to someone applying nail polish to her fingers, only to put on a smile when the public gets a glimpse of her. She’s practically villainous, which makes what happens once she enters the circus almost deserving. If not for Spring, who wants to protect her family, that is.
A huge chunk of the issue is devoted to the circus act, which Summer mostly sits through bored. Remender does a great job writing out the ringleader’s speech, which is poetic and adds to the otherworldliness. Azaceta does an incredible job making this circus go beyond reality, from swans with human torsos and legs to costume changes on the fly for Summer. The cutaways to the audience help fuel the awe the circus brings, with very little of it actually coming off as evil.
The overall plotting is a bit off in this issue, though. Spring is largely absent due to the backstory on a magic mirror, with the focus swinging to the circus and Summer. Without being sure how we should feel about Summer, it’s almost as if the circus is doing the world a favor, making the acts of the “villain” in this story obtuse.
The Seasons #4 continues the series’ enchanting blend of dark whimsy and heartfelt stakes, with Paul Azaceta’s mesmerizing art and Rick Remender’s layered storytelling creating a surreal experience like no other. While the issue’s shifting focus and emotional ambiguity dull some of its impact, the haunting magic of the circus—and the lingering dread it leaves behind—make it a worthy chapter in this dreamlike saga.
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