In BROKEN SOULS BALLAD #4, available from Scout Comics on October 13th, 2021, the Beast of Sleep has come to capture Mrs. Adele’s lost boys. Meanwhile, Lucille uses her voracious appetite to escape.
The Details
- Written By: Massimo Rosi
- Art By: Ludovica Ceregatti
- Colors By: Ludovica Ceregatti
- Letters By: Ludovica Ceregatti
- Cover Art By: Ludovica Ceregatti
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: October 13, 2021
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Was It Good?
In this issue, we get to see one of Mrs. Adele’s mutant henchmen go out to retrieve her prized subjects and it’s a terrifying ride. I like this issue and the series of concepts around body-horror-type mutants coming into their powers. That said, the pacing slows a bit in this issue because the time is split between four separate threads, detracting from the progress each thread makes towards the overall plot.
In thread one, slug boy is confronted by the Beast of Sleep. You start to see how the slugs “talk to him” with a preternatural insight into what’s going on. It’s interesting to wonder how the slugs know so much about what’s going on when they come from his body.
In thread two, blood blister boy (I’m making these names up for clarity. They’re not actually called that in the comic) is taken to the hospital after the brutal street brawl at the end of the last issue. There, Mrs. Adele’s deep pockets pull a fast one to get the boy into custody. It’s a good scene to show just how far Mrs. Adle’s influence reaches, and it’s refreshing to see a set of parents that don’t simply take the hospital administration’s word for what’s going on when something smells fishy.
In thread three, Tom’s friends coming looking for him. While it’s nice to see his friends care enough to go the extra mile for his well-being, we get an unexpected surprise when we learn the next-door neighbor has a bizarre secret of her own. The scene plays well, and the neighbor’s mother could turn out to be a villain as well.
Thread four focuses on maneater (Lucille) who allows her hunger to kill everyone who gets in her way. Her methods may be murderous but her intentions are good, and we see that all she wants to do is help.
That’s a lot for 22 pages and it shows. To be fair, every scene in each thread is solid. The kids look sufficiently terrified by what’s happening to them and what outside forces are attempting. The dialog feels natural, and the horror elements play out well. The only down point is the lack of time given to each thread. So much happens but it doesn’t feel like much happened because no thread is given enough space to develop.
The art is still beautifully grotesque. Ceregatti managed to create the most bizarre form of sleep gas you’ve ever seen. The gas is released as giant, toxic bubbles that attack their victim in a claustrophobic assault that, again, plays on the neurosis of the readers in uncomfortable ways.
Everything about this comic is creepy and uncomfortable in the best way. That said, it tries to make progress on too many threads at once.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Before the Beast of Sleep sends you to dreamland, read our BROKEN SOULS BALLAD #3 review.
We pick up from the end of the last issue with the Beast of Sleep breaking into slug boy’s home to capture him. In a brief panel cut, we see his parents are either seriously injured or dead in their bedroom. The slugs begin talking to him about the Beast, and what he needs to do to avoid capture.
Meanwhile, blood blister boy is taken to the hospital by his parents after the assault on his house. When he’s taken back for examination, Mrs. Adele’s goons are waiting to sedate him and cart him away. When his parents don’t receive an update after waiting too long, his parents give the nurses at the desk holy hell and start calling lawyers.
Back at the “asylum” Lucille walks out of her room after eating the orderly. When other orderlies notice her wandering around in the hall, they try to restrain her but meet a similar fate. Lucille escapes the asylum with the intention of saving the others.
We conclude the issue with slug boy trapped, the Beast taking a daytime nap, and Lucille arriving to save the day(?)
Final Thoughts
BROKEN SOULS BALLAD #4 sees Mrs. Adele’s forces begin an all-out assault to bring the mutants under control. The art is ooey, gooey grotesque, and each scene plays out with plenty of human emotion. However, the reading pace slows considerably with too many threads fighting for attention with the limited page count.
Score: 7.5/10
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