THE BOX #4, from Red 5 Comics on January 5th, 2022, brings Methuselah’s journey to an end as his men capture Claire and Leo for a tense standoff over possession of the Box.
The Details
- Written By: Joshua Starnes
- Art By: Raymond Estrada
- Colors By: Steven Dellasalla
- Letters By: Dave Lanphear
- Cover Art By: Raymond Estrada
- Cover Price: $3.95
- Release Date: January 5, 2022
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Was It Good?
THE BOX #4 caps the end of the current arc (possibly the series) with gunfights, decapitated heads that still talk, a trip to another dimension, and the origin of one of the strangest villains you’ll likely to see… maybe.
Is it a great issue? No. It’s got some flaws, but at the very least, the ending packs in tons of imagination and ties up most of the loose threads for a relatively complete ending. The best parts of the issue surround the fantastical elements (more details on those in the next section) because that’s what you want to see in a story like this. When an average Joe comes into possession of a Box that can produce or do anything you can imagine, a reader wants to see how far the character can go with it. In this issue, Leo goes father than the limits of the world and it makes for great spectacle in a story finale.
That said, the main down point is the awful narrative flow and readability. The panel progression and dialog frequently don’t make sense, and you get the impression the creators had to over-trim the material to fit into one issue. Dialog between characters gets caught off in the middle of a thought. Scenes jump from one setting to the next with no transition. The majority of the issue reads like watching a film with a chronic stutter that skips every sixth minute.
The art is the art. We’ve noted some ups and down with Estrada’s art style because it is ink-heavy and intentionally blotchy. When you choose heavy blotches as a stylistic choice, you have to walk a fine line between gritty mood and sloppy smears where you can’t understand what you’re seeing. Unfortunately, Estrada’s style frequently tips too far over the line toward the latter. Comics are a visual medium, and if the reader can’t understand what he or she is seeing, there’s no value in the uniqueness of the style.
On a positive note, the visuals are fascinating when Joe takes an otherworldly trip. The backgrounds are vibrant and appealing, so kudos to the art team for the artistic bright spot in this issue.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
If you don’t recall how Leo and Claire wound up in Methuselah’s clutches, first read our THE BOX #3 review.
We begin with Leo and Claire on their knees, surrounded by armed henchmen, in one of Methuselah’s homes. Methuselah knows he can’t take the Box by force. It can only be accepted when given willingly by the current owner, Claire. After a little roughing up, Claire gives over the Box in exchange for her and Leo’s freedom.
When Methuselah accepts the Box, he takes the map and disappears into the Box, to everyone’s amazement. With Methuselah gone, the fighting begins between Leo and Claire, and Methuselah’s cronies who have their ambition for the Box’s power. Leo ultimately gets control of the Box but is forced by gunpoint to retrieve the head of Tony the Tiger under the assumption the head is still alive and able to cough up Tony’s secrets.
Amazingly, Leo succeeds in conjuring Tony’s head, and while the group is distracted, Leo enters the Box to go after Methuselah. We conclude the issue with a mind-bending battle between Methuselah and Tony in a realm not of this Earth, Methuselah’s greedy henchmen thinning their ranks, and Tony the Tiger living up to his namesake.
Final Thoughts
THE BOX #4 concludes the arc with a gangster battle for the ages on Earth and a battle for reality in a magical. realm. The wow moments of the issue grab your attention, and the story wraps up all the loose ends with a relatively neat bow. That said, the blotchy inks sometimes made the panel action unintelligible, and the story the panel progression was so choppy and disconnected, your eye might get whiplash.
Score: 6/10
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