Bleeding Hearts #4 made me feel things I wasn’t expecting. It’s an upside down world of lunacy with moments of beauty scattered throughout that reaffirmed the most important things about being alive. The interplay between Rabbit and Poke was sweet, the tension between Poke and Mush felt tragic, and the politics of a zombie-run world were presented so banally that Poke’s face turn makes perfect sense; the joy he chooses seems so much better than the alternative. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The issue opens with a tea party between Rabbit, Mama, and Poke. As terrified as Mama is about letting her daughter get close to a zombie, she’s hit with the realization that this connection she’s developed with him makes him the first real friend she’s ever had. That epiphany ruins her, but she lets it happen because throwing a tea-party is maybe the first normal thing that Rabbit has ever done. It’s a simple but poignant moment that really highlights the importance of connection that’s possible between two people that really shouldn’t have anything in common. That’s theme number one for Bleeding Hearts #4.
DC
After the tea party, Poke returns to his life in the zombie hierarchy but the distance between him and his best friend Mush has only grown as he’s spent more time with the two survivors. He’s simply lost interest in the zombie way of life and become disaffected with the way things are supposed to be done. The awkwardness of one friend who clearly wants to break up a relationship because he’s grown past their old hobbies is a pretty clear message that even the most rote normalcy can be upended by a hopeful alternative, but grasping it seems impossible. This sentiment is summed up nicely with maybe the most beautiful page in the whole book, when a confused Poke walks back into town against a setting sun and a single caption states: “We are what we are.”. That’s theme number two for Bleeding Hearts #4.
Back in town, Poke decides he needs to move on from the survivors, that it isn’t right the relationship he has with them… but even less right is the fact that he made this decision without saying goodbye. Taking it upon himself to be the bigger zombie, he gathers food and supplies for the live ones and jumps through all these mental hoops to try and justify his behavior. He talks about how he needs to get them back up to full strength because while a survivor filled with defiance is delicious, a survivor full of resignation spoils the meal. He’s trying to justify why he cares about them because the idea that he cares simply because he does is too much for his brain to process. That’s theme number three for Bleeding Hearts #4.
DC
The ending is rife with tension, heartache, and betrayal. It confirms the worst suspicions readers have, the worst fears of Mama, and the worst possible outcome for Rabbit, and endearing character that represents a childhood taken away from someone who didn’t deserve it. That’s theme number four for Bleeding Hearts #4.
Bleeding Hearts #4 continues the trend of the series in that it’s somehow better than the last issue. With complex themes running throughout, there are a million ways to interpret what the story is talking about, but there’s no doubt about what the creatives believe: that caring about people and helping who you can is a trait that all living things share. Humanity is a word stretched thin in the world of Bleeding Hearts, but it’s constantly on display in both subtle and overt ways for those with eyes to see it.
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