BLACK COTTON #6 – Review

BLACK COTTON #6, available from Scout Comics on November 17th, 2021, reaches the boiling point as the D.A. publicly announces whether or not Zion Cotton will be charged for the near-fatal shooting of Elizabeth Nightingale.

The Details

• Written By: Patrick Foreman, Brian Hawkins
• Art By: Marco Perugini
• Letters By: Francisco Zamora
• Cover Art By: Marcelo Henrique Santana
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: November 17, 2021

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Was It Good?

Well, it’s time to get (more) uncomfortable. The beauty of Black Cotton is its ability to make you look at the social upheaval surrounding a police shooting while swapping out the stereotypical elements that make such a terrible event all too familiar. The shooting is not the most important event that informs the reader about the culture in which the story takes place. The culture is defined by everything that happens after, and as a result of, the shooting.

We’re at the part of this tragic saga where the D.A has to choose to pursue charges against Zion Cotton or not, and no matter which way he goes (and he does make an announcement), we already know there will be a segment of the population outraged by the result. In some ways, rage is what defines this comic. Rage against wrongs that range from personal slights to public injustice. Rage against mistakes. Rage against the past. Rage against an uncertain or unwanted future. The racial aspects are almost incidental. Foreman and Hawkins paint a picture of rage in all its forms, and you can’t help but relate to all of them on some level.

What’s most interesting about this kaleidoscope of rage is the lack of any ham-fisted message surrounding it. You’re never really told how to feel or whether the rage is justified. The story is presented through a nearly-perfect lens of objectivity. The creators don’t ask you to pick a side. You’re simply shown the sides, and what you do with that knowledge is up to you. This is as thought-provoking as comic creation gets.

The art is serviceable but not great. We’ve made bones about the art being too loose, too sketchy, to the point that it’s sometimes hard to tell which character is which. If you’re a fan of Perugini’s style, you’ll get more of the same here.

What’s It About?

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

Before you find out the ugly consequences of the D.A.s announcement, read our BLACK COTTON #5 review to get caught up.

We open with a growing and unruly crowd of protestors waiting outside the D.A.s office for his announcement as to whether or not he will pursue charges against Zion Cotton. When the D.A. makes his announcement, all Hell breaks loose.

Meanwhile, Sr. Cotton is confronted by the Keshinomi twins at Cotton HQ. The group argues back and forth about the perceived dishonor inflicted on the Kishenomi clan by the Cotton family’s dealings. Despite Sr.’s attempts at reason and de-escalation, the twins leave after running Carolina through with a sword. (Author’s note: as mentioned in the last review, an attack by sword-wielding twins seems wildly out of place for the main plot).

Zion Cotton, feeling terrible about being the cause of so much strife, decides to leave his apartment to go down to where the D.A. is making his announcement. The police officer guarding his apartment tries to stop him, but ultimately, he lets Zion go.

We conclude the issue with an announcement that surprises no one, a crowd reaction that surprises no one, and Zion Cotton getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Final Thoughts

BLACK COTTON #6 is a thoughtful case study about rage in all its forms and flavors when a series of events brings the city to a boiling point. The story is thought-provoking, the sequence of events is original yet familiar to our world, and creators wisely shine a light on every side of the conflict to let the reader make up their own mind about what they would do in the same situation.

Score: 8/10

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