LOCUST #4 – Review

In LOCUST #4, available from Scout Comics on September 15th, 2021, Max goes to frigid extremes to escape Ford’s flock in the past. Meanwhile, current Max destroys a safe house and picks up a flock member with nowhere to go.

The Details

• Written By: Massimo Rosi
• Art By: Alex Nieto
• Colors By: Alex Nieto
• Letters By: Mattia Gentili
• Cover Art By: Alex Nieto
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: September 15, 2021

Wait! Don’t Forget To Sign Up For The Comical Opinions Newsletter.

Was It Good?

This is a solid entry in this series, although not as impactful or meaningful as the previous issue. Issue #4 catches readers in that transitional space between big moments where Max develops a fatherly relationship with Ford’s daughter in the past and he develops a protective relationship with the young flock refugee in the present day. You can feel both timelines move to their next, respective locations, but we’re not quite there yet.

It wouldn’t be fair to say this is a filler issue, but it is fair to say both timelines take a breath to work out some character- and relationship-building. It’s also fair to say you get high-tension moments in each timeline as Max has to make a life-or-death choice that comes with a painful cost.

While the timelines take a breather on plot movement, the character-building we get is outstanding. Max feels like such a fully realized character, it’s impossible not to empathize with his situation and feel the weight of each death, each gunshot, and each escape. Every moment has meaning, and Rosi makes each one count.

Nieto’s art is great in this issue, possibly better than the last few. The dreary, grey filtering used on every page accurately recreates the dead depression of winter, and it adds an oppressive pressure to the tension of the story.

Also, the lettering stands out more in this issue for creative sound effects, especially during the “jump” scene from the rooftop. It’s always a treat to see a sound you hadn’t thought about play out in words and you get quite a few creative examples in this issue.

In all, this is a more sedate issue than the previous one, but it uses the time wisely to fill in more blanks about Max’s history and increase the readers’ empathy for the main character.

What’s It About?

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

Before the nihilism overtakes you, read our LOCUST #3 review to get back up to speed.

We begin with current Max during the standoff with Ford’s flock in the safe house with an acolyte holding a child hostage. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your PoV), the child turns into a locust while he’s being held, and Max is free to unleash his fury and the captive monsters to lay waste. Outside, Max stops a young acolyte, whose barely a teenager, to get him to reveal Ford’s location.

In the past, Max makes a rooftop escape with Ford’s daughter by jumping into the wintry river. Max takes a gunshot to the knee, but he’s able to make his way with the girl to the docks where his boat is moored. There, he’s confronted by friends who are already turning into locusts, and he’s forced to kill them to get to his boat.

Back to now, Max forces the teenage acolyte on a walking trip to get to Ford’s location. Along the way, they reluctantly share details about each other’s lives, and we get to see that Ford preys on people of all ages to indoctrinate them into his flock.

We conclude the issue with Max making it to his boat in the past, a close call with a small militia in the present, and Max catching a glimpse of a familiar face.

Final Thoughts

LOCUST #4 turns down the shock & awe moments to flesh out Max’s backstory and build out the relationships that will be severely impacted in both timelines. The art is oppressive and moody, and the final pages promise big things are about to happen for our lone protagonist.

Score: 8.5/10