BLACK COTTON #4 – Review

In BLACK COTTON #4, available from Scout Comics on August 11th, 2021, Xavier Cotton and his girlfriend grapple with the growing accusations of racism against him and his family, Meanwhile, Elizabeth’s reputation is called into question.

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The Details

• Written By: Brian Hawkins
• Art By: Marco Perugini
• Letters By: Francisco Zamora
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: August 11, 2021

Was It Good?

It’s complicated.

This isn’t a fun comic to read, and that’s because it’s not meant to be. What I take away from the story is a confirmation of sorts. The confirmation that racially charged events, such as a minority woman getting shot by a police officer of another race, has almost nothing to do with the particulars of a person’s skin color.

The troubles this comic forces you to acknowledge have little to do with race and almost everything to do with bad choices, bad assumptions, and bad perceptions. Instead of looking at people as they are — flawed and just as susceptible to making a good decision or bad decision in the heat of the moment — several of these characters look at people as predictable and “all the same.” In reality, everyone is complicated and messy in their own way.

In this fast-paced, #FakeNews, clickbait world, we’re too quick to apply labels simply because it’s easier to process, absorb, and move on. In truth, any given event (like a police shooting) is filled with nuance and context that’s impossible to appreciate when you’re impatiently scrolling and swiping. In humanity’s unending quest for more and faster information, we lose the responsibility of taking the time to understand.

This review is coming off like a soapbox sermon. I admit it.

However, that’s the value of comics like this. Each “painful” scene is a consequence of some lies, some truths, and the consequences of both when understanding takes a backseat to shock and outrage. Again, this isn’t a fun read, but it’s one worth checking out.

The little bit of down there is in this comic is due to the art. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not the best. The linework is sketchy and rough. The character designs are so loose, it was sometimes difficult to tell who was who in a scene with more than two people.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Xavier and his girlfriend’s romance continues to blossom, but the growing unrest over Zion’s shooting of Elizabeth Nightingale increasingly dominated their conversations and social interactions at school.

Over the course of the issue, assorted news reports crop up to paint Elizabeth as a rowdy party girl who was prone to public fighting and generally bad behavior. In isolation, each incident is true, but the news reports appear to have been engineered to paint the worst possible picture and taint public perception against Elizabeth.

Later, Elizabeth struggles with the pain of her injury, the negative effect it has on her relationship with her boyfriend, and her bleak outlook on life after losing her sports scholarship due to her injury. We conclude the issue with Elizabeth receiving an offer that may or may not set things right.

Final Thoughts

BLACK COTTON #4 takes a difficult topic and treats it with honesty. It’s honest because it doesn’t treat any character as a monolith, and it takes time to create characters that are as messy and complicated as we all are in real life.

Score: 8/10