Following the intense chase in Escape #3, things get emotionally intense as the cause for the war comes into focus. Escape #4 doesn’t necessarily slow down, but it forces the story to look inward, stripping away the spectacle to confront the moral weight behind the conflict. What begins as a breather quickly becomes one of the most thematically revealing chapters of the series so far, peeling back layers of propaganda, fear, and personal bias in a way that feels uncomfortably—and intentionally—close to home.
Escape #4 is a chapter that feels deeply personal, which is even more evident when you read writer Rick Remender’s afterword. The issue concerns an interesting conversation about why a side like America sees a side like WWII Germany as evil, and how it’s not so simple as that. Thrown into the mix is the current political climate in America, and one can see why a story like this needs to be told now more than ever.
So far, we’ve seen the series from Milton’s eyes, a bear who fights for the “good guys” even if it means dropping bombs on a city. He’s escaped capture, but at the start of the issue, he wakes up with his wounds healed and a small boy watching over him—a boy clearly from the enemy side. In this story, the bad guys are bats, which helps simplify which side the enemy is on, while recontextualizing the story since the characters aren’t humans.
Although most of this issue is set in an apartment where Milton is hiding out, there’s intensity at the start. He doesn’t know who dressed his wounds or why he’s being helped. This leads to a knife held to a throat, and some quick thinking and talking to keep the peace.
A tough goodbye.
Credit: Image
Remender does a great job with dialogue in this issue, making Milton’s point of view feel understandable yet straightforward. He’s not a deep thinker, just a pilot who knows in his heart his side is the good guys. Meanwhile, the character who dressed his wounds is clearly more educated, with thoughtful responses to Milton’s points about letting fascism take over. One can see how this conversation isn’t unlike many taking place in America today. The nuance in the way they speak adds to each character and who they are.
The art by Daniel Acuña is excellent as ever, with moody interior lighting adding to the sense of danger as Milton hides out. The issue opens in a flashback as Milton says goodbye to his pregnant wife. The way Acuña draws Milton so unemotional seems to suggest that going to war isn’t a choice; it’s something he must do. He’s also a man, maybe trying to escape life’s responsibilities. And yet later, when he pulls off a magic trick for the young boy, Acuña makes him seem fatherly and warm.
Escape #4 trades high-speed chases for emotional honesty and political weight, delivering a powerful, introspective chapter that challenges both Milton and the reader to question what “good guys” and “bad guys” really mean. It’s one of the series’ most personal, resonant issues to date, elevated by Remender’s raw writing and Acuña’s expressive storytelling.
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