KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #4, from Dynamite Comics on December 15th, 2021, pits the world’s greatest rock band against deadly samurai robots and mutant monster experiments as they try to escape the island of Darius Cho.
The Details
- Written By: Ian Edginton
- Art By: Celor
- Colors By: Valentina Pinto
- Letters By: Troy Peteri
- Cover Art By: Jae Lee (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: December 15, 2021
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Was It Good?
Well, at least it’s consistent. There are some good points in KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #4 that warrant holding on to the title, mainly due to a series of twists at the very end that point to a deeper mystery about what’s really happening on Cho’s island. When a comic can surprise you, in a good way, that’s always worth a nod of respect.
Thankfully, the biggest flaw in this issue isn’t the writing. It’s the art. More on that in a minute.
Edginton does a serviceable job continuing KISS’s escape from Cho’s island by setting up more powerful enemies to work through. The group uses their wits to escape rather than defeat the enemy, and Edginton establishes plausible escape routes to make the path seem believable within the world he’s created. And again, there are more than one surprise twist at the end of the issue that greatly elevates the curiosity factor for what comes next.
The art is another matter altogether. There’s no simpler way to say it, the art in this comic is amateurish. Character renderings are flat, there’s a lack of perspective and depth in the panel angles, and the lack of detail is painfully obvious. Some of the panels look like they were sketched out in a few minutes. I wish there was something more positive to say about the art, but there isn’t. This is substandard work.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
If you don’t recall why KISS is on Darius Cho’s island or what they’re running from, check out our KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #3 review.
We pick up with KISS and Miss Tzen confronted with the android samurai known as the Woes of the Thousand Hells. The guys try to destroy the Woes with their newfound powers but the androids are impervious to attack. Miss Tzen directs the guys to run to a nearby outcropping of rocks to access a hidden elevator that will hopefully give them a path to escape. While they run, Tzen explains the samurai androids are impervious because they’re made from alien materials Darius Cho recovered from space debris.
Down in the island’s facilities, Tzen takes the boys past a room with large tanks, each containing a mutant monster. Gene theorizes the monsters may have been missing employees that Cho used as guinea pigs using the materials recovered from the alien debris. When the android samurai break into the same room, Gene tosses a nearby console at them, unintentionally freeing the mutant monsters. While the androids and monsters fight each other, KISS and Tzen escape through a hatch to another section of the island above.
Before they can get too far, the group runs into a force field. We conclude the issue with Miss Tzen opening her heart to the guys, Peter using his powers to repel instead of attract, and a new confrontation with Darius Cho… but it’s not what you think.
Final Thoughts
KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #4 is a full-on chase as KISS and Miss Tzen look for a way to escape while being chased by mutant monsters and unstoppable androids. The pace and energy are high, and there are a few cool surprises at the end, but the art is simply terrible in this book.
Score: 6.5/10
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