DOCTOR WILDER #4, from Blackbox Comics on June 1st, 2022, sends the Wilder Team reeling after the death of one of their own. With more than ever at stake, it’s time for the team to play dirty.
The Details
- Written By: Brian Hawkins
- Art By: Umberto Giampà
- Colors By: Martina Rossi
- Letters By: Saida Temofonte
- Cover Art By: Umberto Giampà
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: June 1, 2022
Was It Good?
In the last issue, the team took a heavy blow with Vergel’s death during a tense hostage situation. If you thought things couldn’t get any worse, you’d be wrong. In DOCTOR WILDER #4, shock and grief quickly morph into vengeful anger as Wilder and her crew pull out all the stops to bring the poaching ring down. Is this comic as riveting as the explanation you just read? Yes. Yes, it is.
To date, this series excels on two fronts above all others – smart, efficient writing and gorgeous art. This issue continues the trend and layers on exciting action with a strong emotional undercurrent in every scene. The team is angry, and Hawkins makes sure that seething anger comes through loud and clear. When the reader picks up on such strong emotion backed by a relatable motivation, you become immersed in the story. You want to see the heroes get payback. You want to see the bad guys fall. It’s as natural an instinct as any other to see justice done, so Hawkins plays on that natural desire with impressive results.
The plot takes the events from the last issue and fleshes out the consequences for all parties. Wilder’s team takes Vergel’s death hard but doesn’t waste time hitting back with equal ferocity. Deja Wilder grapples with putting on a brave face to assure her employers that the job will get done while processing her grief. And the last moments see Wilder’s plan take a disastrous turn. Hawkins successfully plays on the readers’ emotions and need for justice, but he creates a whip-smart story with expert pacing and a nail-biting plot.
Of all the Blackbox titles we’ve reviewed, Giampà, Rossi, and Temofonte are the art team to beat. The backgrounds are pristine, the character lines are grounded without looing like a traced photograph, and the action is high-energy. Rossi’s colors, in particular, are vivid and make every page pop with visual interest. This comic has some of the best art around.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
See how Vergel’s life came to a tragic end in our DOCTOR WILDER #3 review.
We begin with Deja Wilder meeting with her employers to discuss Vergel’s death and to assure each other that the job to stop the poaching ring is still on. Wracked with grief, Deja puts on a brave face and walks away from the meeting committed to bringing the poaching ring down.
Meanwhile, Macy and Sam dig for records and backgrounds on all the poaching sellers until they find what they need – leverage. They find information that could destroy Scott Walters and his entire family. Destruction, they explain to Scott Walters in person, can be avoided if he gives up everything he knows.
One week later, we catch up with Wilder during an assault on the genetics facility. We conclude the issue with a stampede, overwhelming numbers, and a dead end.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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DOCTOR WILDER #4 is a fantastic issue leading heading towards the finale of this ar. The writing is smart and efficient, layered with a copious mix of emotion and action. The art team is turning in some of the best visuals on the market today. And the ending leaves the heroes cornered with no clear means of escape, making for a near-perfect cliffhanger.
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