It may be the beginning of Spring, but this week brings the end of the steampunk Santa story Our Soot Stained Heart. In the first three chapters we met the ‘good’ girl, Peggy, and her corrupted, coal-driven city, The Coalition. We witnessed the oppression the working-class suffered under the evil Governor Glass and his minions. We watched Peggy head North to the land of the mysterious Baron – the man behind the coal supplies – only to find him a righteous and brave man willing to sacrifice everything to end the suffering of Peggy’s people. And we saw the first blows between the Baron and Governor Glass – all while the uprising of the working-class cooked to a boiling point on the streets of The Coalition.
With the release of Our Soot Stained Heart #4, Joni Hägg and Stipan Morian present the final resolution of their revolutionary story.
Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios
Colorist Ropemann fills the book with the bright red of revolution. This includes the bright red narration boxes – wonderfully rendered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou – of the revolution’s leader, Marie. It’s her inner thoughts that narrate this final chapter. Despite only appearing in the first issue so far, Marie and her working-class followers adorn the cover, revealing what is most important in this issue.
I understand these narrative choices by Hägg and Morian – bringing the focus onto the socially relevant conflict of the story – but I can’t help but feel that it takes too much away from Peggy. At this point, I’m not really sure who the main protagonist of the miniseries was supposed to be. Peggy was definitely the main character of the first (and best) issue, but the middle two chapters focused more on the Baron. In this final issue, Peggy shares the spotlight with both the Baron and Marie. Unfortunately, I think the miniseries could’ve been better and had more emotional impact if the story had remained Peggy’s story throughout.
Nevertheless, the first third of issue #4 revolves around Peggy’s role in the revolution of the working-class in The Coalition. She reveals the lies the ruling-class has used all these years to keep the workers under control and themselves in power. But rather than a defiant call to violently throw down their oppressors – what Marie hopes for – Peggy remains true to her good nature and instead pleads for an end to the cycles of violence. At least, that’s what her speech implies. To be honest, I actually wish her speech were a little more preachy in order to drive this point home.
Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios
The rest of the issue brings everything to a good resolution. The fight between the Baron and Governor Glass comes to an action packed but also emotionally satisfying end. The Baron and his companions bring about a technological revolution to parallel (and symbolize) the political one. There’s more, but I don’t want to spoil everything.
Otherwise, I don’t have much to say about Our Soot Stained Heart #4 that I haven’t said about the first three issues. Once again, I enjoyed the issue more on the second read. I also assume it will read even better collected as a trade paperback, which comes out in May.
From the technical side, there is a lot of quality to praise. I’ve already mentioned Ropemann’s use of bright reds to symbolize revolution. But all of the colors work on multiple levels, from the yellows and oranges of coal-burning fire, to the frosty blues of the Northern world.
Morian’s art isn’t always my favorite style, but it works in ways most comics don’t. I’m not a fan of the exaggerated facial features, but I must praise the diversity of faces and body types Morian draws. Especially in the large crowds, everyone has a distinct look. And his eye for composition is wonderful. He often draws images bigger than the panel, creating a dynamic effect. And he always chooses the perfect camera-angle to create a desired effect.
Finally, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou once again puts on a lettering masterclass. At times, up to four different unseen speakers are heard on the same page. But each voice is identifiable and characterized by the variety of colors and styles Otsmane-Elhaou uses, from the aforementioned bright red narrative captions of Marie, to the fiery yellow-orange words of Governor Glass. The lettering literally brings personality to the characters. And I haven’t even mentioned the sound effects, which are some of the best in the business.
Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios
With this fourth issue, Jori Hägg and Stipan Morian bring their creative, Santa-themed, steampunk story of a worker’s revolution to a satisfying close. Morian’s art, Ropemann’s colors and Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering work together perfectly to create a wonderful visual experience. Although I think the miniseries as a whole would’ve worked better if Peggy had been the true protagonist throughout, Hägg gives each character enough time to bring each arc to an emotionally satisfying ending.
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