MONOMYTH #4, from Mad Cave Studios on 8/16/23, follows the surviving sorcery students when they find out their selection isn’t random, forcing one student to take matters into his own hands.
The Details
- Written by: David Hazan
- Art by: Cecilia Lo Valvo
- Colors by: Marissa Louise
- Letters by: Lucas Gattoni
- Cover art by: Juan Doe
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: August 16, 2023
Is It Good?
MONOMYTH #4 whittles down the group to four, but a revealing discovery ups the stakes and the action in Davad Hazan’s latest chapter of magical mystery. The magical action is bigger, and the threats have multiplied, with a tad more clarity surrounding the mystery, but Hazan’s plot surrounding the mastermind behind everything is still firmly in the dark.
When last we left the involuntary students, the monsters from the surrounding woods infiltrated the castle. The students learned the monsters used to be regular people who were cursed by magic, and the subsequent fight claimed another student. Now, Vadim, Kole, Julia, and Kerra find a mysterious parchment containing a long list of names that spell trouble for the students.
Clarity is a good thing. If you’ve struggled with this series because the plot seems like random, magical dangers picking off a random collection of people, this issue brings a little more clarity to dispel the randomness of it all. There’s more to be revealed, but Hazan appears to be pulling back the curtain.
What’s great about this comic? As noted above, clarity is a good thing. Now that the curtain is (slowly) being pulled back, it helps to get a handle on the plot with a scant number of issues remaining. Through the conflict, the students are forced to learn how to use their wands which clarifies (sort of) the rules of the magic system this story employs. The rules are vague, but it’s better than nothing.
What’s not so great about this comic? With only two issues left to go, Hazan has a looooong way to go to make sense of everything happening. The clarity in this issue is a step in the right direction but not nearly enough to get readers invested in the characters or the plot by dispelling the lack of information or confusion. Further, the individual characters haven’t been built up enough to make them memorable, so we’re struggling to figure out names beyond “the big Russian” or “white pigtails.” If readers can’t remember much about the characters in an ensemble beyond surface physical appearance, that means they needed more time to shine individually.
How’s the art? It ranges from good to above average. Cecilia Lo Valvo takes advantage of this issue’s increase in magic fights to flex some fantasy art muscles, and it looks pretty darn good. The action sequences are kinetic, and the displays of magic are visually interesting.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our MONOMYTH #3 review to find out how misdirected magic had a monstrous effect on people of the past.
We begin with the surviving students reacting to the noise of a nearby skeleton slumping over a parchment at a nearby desk. When they look at the parchment, they see names written in their respective languages, but each student can read the names as if they were written in their native tongue. Kole gingerly pulls the parchment away from the skeleton so everyone can get a closer look.
The survivors see their own names and the names of their ancestors who their families reported missing years ago. In short, the parchment contains the list of family names from six bloodlines, and as each person dies, their names are scratched off in order. The next name to be scratched off is Vadim’s.
We conclude the issue with a fight to be the last one remaining, fire, water, and books.
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Final Thoughts
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MONOMYTH #4 slowly reveals the connection between the students, their families, and the notion that the castle will keep killing until only one remains. Hazan’s script brings a little clarity to a largely opaque series, and the magic art is visually engaging, but a lot of open questions remain, with only two issues left.
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