ROOK: EXODUS #4, by Image Comics on 7/24/24, cranks up the Warden versus Beast action when Ursaw and his allies lay siege to The Oasis in a bid to steal the Wildlife Grid.
Credits:
- Writer: Geoff Johns
- Artist: Jason Fabok
- Colorist: Brad Anderson
- Letterer: Rob Leigh
- Cover Artist: Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: July 24, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of ROOK: EXODUS #4:
First Impressions:
Action, action, and more action. Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok wage the most captivating sci-fi war comic of 2024 when The Crow, The Wolf, and The Turtle face off against The Bear, The Hog, and The Snake. If that sounds weird, it looks a Hell of a lot cooler than it sounds.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left Rook and Dire Wolf in Rook: Exodus #3, they approached Carapace to re-establish the neural network of the Wildlife Grid that joins all Wardens together. The goal? Send out a call for Wardens to join forces against Ursaw’s army. Carapace reluctantly agreed, despite his misgivings about Rook, and they formed the link. Unfortunately, Ursaw got the message as well.
In Rook: Exodus #4, Rook and Dire Wolf engage their animals to stop Ursaw, or at least slow him down enough to complete Carapace’s evacuation of the Oasis and secure the Wildlife Grid. When Rook catches site of Warhog, Ursaw’s new Warden, wearing Swine’s stolen helmet, his fight takes on a second meaning when he decides the fight isn’t over until he gets his friend’s helmet back.
Drama, energy, anticipation, and excitement. At some point, we’re going to run out of adjectives for just how power-packed this issue turned out. Now that we know what the Wildlife Grid is and the consequences if Ursaw gets his hands on it, the motivations of every character are crystal clear.
The fight begins. Rook sends his crows after Warhog, but the birds are easily scattered by the boom of a shotgun blast. Dire Wolf is blindsided by the attack of a giant snake controlled by Dire Wolf’s former and expelled student, Naa. She was expelled because she allowed the instinctive will of her snakes to have a predatory effect on her personality. Elsewhere, Carapace and his remaining men secured the enigmatic Wildlife Grid, a spherical device with a mysterious construction. Unfortunately, Carapace doesn’t get far when Ursaw arrives.
Here, Geoff Johns gives readers hard-hitting, edge-of-your-seat tension with multiple threads that show each ally in the heat of a battle that doesn’t look easy or winnable. In large part, Jason Fabok’s art carries the issue in these scenes with great success.
As the battle rages, the tide turns. Dire Wolf knocks out the less experienced Naa and tasers her giant snake for victory number one. Rook stalls the recently promoted Warhog just long enough for Dire Wolf’s pack to arrive and rip Warhog to shreds, freeing Swine’s sounder and reclaiming Swine’s helmet. Sadly, Carapace’s fight with Ursaw doesn’t go his way.
The remarkable thing about this sequence of scenes is the well-timed tempo Johns and Fabok use to sway the outcome of the fights between defeat and victory until the outcome. You get three separate fights that are independently engaging yet combine to create a greater whole in terms of an engrossing story.
When Dire Wolf and Rook realize something’s wrong at the Oasis, they hurry back to find Ursaw departing with the Wildlife Grid. They attack with everything they have, but it’s not enough. The issue ends with Rook fighting his crows as much as Ursaw and a long walk off a short dam.
Overall, this is our favorite issue in the series so far. The stakes and motivations are crystal clear while the protagonists fight for their lives against an overwhelming enemy. Some of the criticisms about world-building remain (What’s a World Engine, anyway?), but this issue is so entertaining that you don’t mind not having all the answers.
Artwork and Presentation:
Jason Fabok’s art is (*Muah! Chef’s Kiss!*) glorious. The character designs and level of detail are arguably astounding. Every panel is a masterwork of pristine lines, dramatic angles, realistic figures, and textures you can almost feel with the tip of your fingers. Fabok deserves every cent Ghost Machine is paying him and more.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
We’ve brought it up before, but there’s been no change. As it stands, this series is not part of the interconnected Ghost Machine timeline with other titles, such as Redcoat and Geiger. That may change, but as of now, Exodus is on its own.
Final Thoughts:
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ROOK: EXODUS #4 is a glorious display of pulse-pounding drama and action on every single page. We’ve criticized the series for its lack of clarity on world-building, but this issue is so much fun that you can’t help but marvel at the cinematic imagining of beasts at war. Geoff Johns has a winner on his hands, and Jason Fabok’s art is simply stunning.
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