CHERRY BLACKBIRD #4 – Review

CHERRY BLACKBIRD #4, available from Scout Comics on November 3rd, 2021, brings Cherry two steps closer to honoring her deal with Beelzebub, but will her contract come with a much higher price?

The Details

• Written By: Joseph Schmalke
• Art By: Joseph Schmalke
• Colors By: Joseph Schmalke
• Letters By: Joel Rodriguez
• Cover Art By: Joseph Schmalke
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: November 3, 2021

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Was It Good?

[AUTHOR’S NOTE: *WARNING* the story information and preview images are VERY NSFW. You’ve been warned!]

Well, there’s much less naked bare-knuckled brawling in this issue as compared to the last but the outcome is no less impactful. The key takeaway in this issue is the creeping sense of doubt coming from the escaped souls Cherry captures and from herself when she gets a first-hand look at the collateral damage of her crusade. This chapter is a keen piece of character development that turns a full-on grindhouse spectacle into something a little bit extra.

Since the beginning of the series, Cherry Blackbird has positioned herself as a take-no-guff, damn-the-consequences kind of character. All grit, very little heart. Here, the heart starts to shine through in the form of remorse, causing Cherry to consider her latest deal with Beelzebub may be for nothing if her brand of cure is just as bad as the disease. Those little snippets of vulnerability make Cherry a bit more relatable and put a tinge of dread on the eventual outcome of this arc.

However, this issue is more than just an interesting bit of character growth for the lead. You get (more) naked bare-knuckled brawling, lethal explosions, depraved crimes, and overall progress towards Cherry’s goal of capturing the seven. You get a lot of forwarding progress on the story, and that may be a slight down point because the story moves a little too fast in this issue. Cherry dispatches at least three escaped souls and encounters a few additional unsavory characters along the way. It all happens so fast that you don’t get too much time to appreciate the depravity of the escapees so you can enjoy their dispatch all the more. It feels a little rushed.

Schmalke’s art is rough, filthy, and as gritty as a grindhouse story of this caliber demands. Admittedly, there are a few panels where the linework is so rough that it looks sketchy, but never so much as to take away from the overall enjoyment of the issue.

What’s It About?

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

If you’re wondering why Cherry is fighting naked in the rain, first read our CHERRY BLACKBIRD #3 review to get caught up.

We begin mid-fight between Cherry Blackbird and Mr. October. Cherry’s clothes were “damaged” in the last fight, and so, here we are. Cherry overcomes October’s fire powers to pummel him into the ground. She beats him mercilessly to get him to give up information about Lo’s location. October, however, is uncooperative, and he kills himself in an attempt to jump into another body. Fortunately (or not), October’s death immediately transfers his fire powers to Cherry. She unintentionally detonates, destroying a three-block radius, everyone in it, and preventing October from escaping into another body.

Later, Cherry is disturbed by the death she caused and concerned about October’s warning that Beelzebub is simply using her. When Cherry and her crew rest up before chasing down the next lead, we see how hard the deaths of everyone caught in the explosion and October’s words hit her.

Later still, Cherry finds Lo in an old warehouse and confronts him to get the information she needs about the missing souls. Lo knows he can’t escape when his attempts to poison her have no effect, so he dispatches himself. We conclude the issue with Cherry taking a rest before chasing down the remaining souls. Cherry encounters a hotel manager who has a depraved habit, and Red’s demonic language translations prove very useful.

Final Thoughts

CHERRY BLACKBIRD #4 continues the grittiest of grindhouse adventures for our titular rockstar/bounty hunter for Beelzebub. The art is suitably filthy, and the story injects surprising amounts of character depth into an otherwise entertaining schlockfest.

Score: 8/10

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