RAT CITY #6, by Image Comics on 9/18/24, gives readers a multi-century-long history of the Bowery in NYC before sending Peter and Quinlan fleeing from Dr. Ammon.
Credits:
- Writer: Erica Schultz
- Artist: Zé Carlos
- Colorist: Jay David Ramos
- Letterer: Erica Schultz
- Cover Artist: Don Aguillo (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: September 18, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $2.99
- Page Count: 22
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of RAT CITY #6:
First Impressions:
This issue is such a disappointment. Rat City #6 is another in an increasing series of examples from multiple publishers of comics that fill page space with pointless fluff just to keep schedules. Even at $2.99 per issue, this issue still wastes the reader’s time and money.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left Peter and Quinlan in Rat City #5, readers were treated to an extended backstory about Dr. Boze and Dr. Ammon, who were idealistic scientists corrupted by the dark motivations of Pharmatech Solutions (PTS). In the present, Dr. Ammon held Peter and Quinlan at gunpoint to demand the return of the files Quinlan stole. When the standoff turned violent, Peter’s suit (the Deviant) formed a protective shell around him and sent him into a hallucinatory spiral.
In Rat City #6, we begin with an extended “documentary” of the history of the Bowery in Rat City, from the earliest settlers up through the 199s and beyond. Despite taking place in an alternate universe, the history lesson is startlingly close in development to our Earth. In fact, very few details are different.
To say Erica Schultz turned in an odd script is right. We ended the last issue with a trippy standoff cliffhanger, and we started this issue with a documentary that takes up ten pages. That’s nearly half the issue dedicated to a documentary that isn’t meaningful to this story except for two tidbits. First, we learn this series takes place in or after the equivalent of the 2030s. Second, we learn Peter’s Earth had a Spawn identical to our own in the 1990s. It’s unclear if either of those points will be pertinent to the series going forward.
Now, a man sits in his apartment. His television viewing is interrupted by loud noises from the adjoining apartment. We soon see those noises are the standoff from the previous issue as Peter awakens from his hallucination state and impales Dr. Ammon.
The issue ends with Peter fleeing with Quinlan, police arriving to save Dr. Ammon, and Dr. Ammon waking up in a worse situation.
Overall, Rat City #6 is an odd issue because at least half of the pages are reserved for a history lesson that has little to no bearing on the story. This is the second issue in a row where it appears Erica Schulz is wasting a lot of page space with pointless fluff to either tread water until a specific date or because she’s out of ideas. Either way, this issue isn’t worth the cover price.
Artwork and Presentation:
Zé Carlos’s artwork is fine if you don’t mind half an issue taken up with 6- and 9-panel pages that are little more than headshots and news clippings. Carlos is making the most of what he’s given, but what he’s given isn’t much.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
As noted in the review above, this series takes place in an alternate time and reality. How? During Spawn #301, a necroplasmic explosion “rippled” across all reality, and that ripple affected Peter’s advanced prosthetic legs. In short, Peter’s suite is a mix of supernatural energy and advanced technology.
Final Thoughts:
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RAT CITY #6 is a weird filler issue that spends half the pages on a documentary about NYC. To say the plot barely moves is an understatement, so it’s not clear if writer Erica Schultz is out of ideas or intentionally wasting time to wait for some future date. Either way, we can’t recommend you get this comic.
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