The Moon is Following Us has continued to impress me with each subsequent issue. It’s not just the fantasy kingdom that creators Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo have cooked up, which includes the most badass talking frog this side of Battletoads, but the surprisingly emotional story and the first issue twist that had me reeling. It’s become a staple of Johnson’s to bury some heartwrenching moments in killer premises, and that’s taken to a new level with The Moon is Following Us #4.
In the previous issue, Sam and Duncan LaMarr finally found their daughter Penny (or rather, her subconscious) but were shocked when one of the Conclave imprisoning Penny had the visage of Sam’s late mother. Already dealing with a flood of emotions, the couple’s completely unprepared for things escalating to a whole new level…requiring them to take a different approach to their battle.
The Moon is Following Us #4 is jam-packed with action, and Rossmo runs wild with it. The Conclave takes on a terrifying new form: a massive serpent that is able to take a literal bite out of anything, including the helicopter that Sam and Duncan use for their rescue mission. Missiles and bullets from that very same helicopter strike the ground, leaving trails of fire in their wake – and colorist Mike Spicer lights the page up in a fiery reddish orange. But my all time favorite moment has to be when Duncan and Brio (the aforementioned badass frog) pull off an X-Men-style fastball special. That Johnson even makes reference to it in his script warms this writer’s heart.
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But the issue also hits fans in the heart where they least expect it, especially concerning one character, Ashley. Since this is a dreamspace, characters tend to be based on things Penny remembers, including her favorite toy, Ashley. So for the giant snake to come and bite Ashley in half was a genuine shock. Johnson deserves credit for making the death of a fictional character hit just as hard as the death of a real one; no matter where the line between fantasy and reality is, there’s still that same level of impact.
This leads to the second half of the book, which features Sam and Duncan making another major choice. But again, this ties into what makes The Moon is Following Us a great read from the jump: it’s something readers could relate to, especially if they’re parents. This is reflected in Johnson’s art, which mostly consists of quieter moments as the couple gears up for battle.
“This isn’t a battle anymore,” Sam tells Duncan at one point. “It’s a war”. With those words, The Moon is Following Us #4 undergoes a subtle, yet drastic paradigm shift. It shows that there’s no limits that the LaMarrs – and by extension, the creators – are willing to push. But war has casualties and that spells an ill omen for their mission…especially since the series is about to hit the halfway point. Whatever happens, Johnson and Rossmo will deliver great art while making readers laugh, cry, or a combination of the two.
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