In SAM AND HIS TALKING GUN #4, available from Scout Comics on August 18th, 2021, Sam comes home to where his friendship with Colt began so many years ago. Will their reunion be an ending or a new beginning?
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The Details
- Written By: Drew Ferguson
- Art By: Lee Ferguson
- Colors By: Lee Ferguson
- Letters By: D.C. Hopkins
- Cover Art By: Lee Ferguson
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: August 18, 2021
Was It Good?
It was a satisfying, albeit a bit predictable, end to the story.
Don’t get me wrong. As far as endings go, this issue is as solid as they come. This issue is effectively one, extended finale scene. It interweaves action with flashbacks between Sam and Colt that go back to their younger years after meeting for the first time.
The high point of this issue is the rhythm of the action plus the narrative as it plays out. The reader’s eye wavers back and forth between past and present in a way that’s not too fast and not too slow. The flashback builds to an emotional pitch as young Sam and Colt build a childhood relationship that solidifies them as friends. The present action builds to a crescendo of action in the same cadence as the flashback. Both past and present hit their peaks at the same time to deliver the hardest-hitting ending possible.
That said, the early days of Sam and Colt were already known. The outcome of this last battle was never much in doubt. When you put the two together, it generates an emotional punch that lacks any surprise. Again, it was a bit predictable.
Ferguson’s art in this issue is excellent. There are multiple pages that read like a tense gunplay duel with barely more than a sound effect and figures in motion. I was lost once or twice with deciphering what motion was happening in a specific panel, but overall, the action flowed intuitively.
The beauty of this comic is its construction and flow, almost like a song. In short, a fitting end to the series.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Sam approaching the doors to his childhood home as he remembers the day he and Colt first met. Almost from the beginning, the two established a bond that would carry through many years.
Cut back to now. Sam crashes through the front door to be faced by Colt’s lackeys with Colt holding the high ground on a landing on the second floor. Sam makes quick work of the lackeys as he heads up the stairs for the final confrontation with Colt.
What follows is nearly 12 pages of a one-on-one gun duel that reads like a dance as much as a fight. Each panel highlights a shot or kick or punch that builds toward the inevitable outcome.
Back to the past. We see heartfelt moments between young Sam and Colt as they look at this building as a home filled with family and hope.
We conclude the issue with a home and a family that is no more.
Final Thoughts
SAM AND HIS TALKING GUN #4 reads like a classical piece of music, skillfully weaving the emotions of the past and the violence of the present into an inevitable crescendo. Each timeline exceptionally builds emotion and tension until they perfectly intersect, but the outcome of the last battle comes off as slightly predictable.
Score: 8.5/10
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