THE SCORCHED #29, by Image Comics on 5/8/24, sends the newly formed O-Killers to take out the Scorched, bringing the team to their lowest point yet.
Credits:
- Writer: John Layman, Todd McFarlane
- Artist: Stephen Segovia
- Colorist: Robert Nugent
- Letterer: AndWorld Design
- Cover Artist: Marcial Toledano Vargas (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: May 8, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $2.99
- Page Count: 29
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of THE SCORCHED #29:
Plot Analysis:
In The Scorched #28, Jessica Priest led the team on a trail of destruction to take out the Agency and its leader, longtime enemy Jason Wynn. We learned Wynn was not only aware of Jessica Priest’s movement but that he fed the team information to corner the Scorched into a series of traps.
In The Scorched #29, we begin with a brief prologue depicting Agent Lin’s meteoric rise in the world of government-sponsored espionage. Finding a place at the right hand of Jason Wynn was just the ticket to achieve the greatness she long sought. Sadly, that greatness will never happen after Frank Bishop puts a bullet in her head and uses his magic to reshape Viscerator into Agent Lin’s replacement.
Then, we flash forward to a flashback. We see the Scorched soundly defeated. Jason Wynn’s experiments into replicating and adapting Overt-Kill’s tech have paid off. Jason Wynn succeeded in creating an army of disposable soldiers with Overt-Kill’s capabilities under Wynn’s complete control. Wynn dubs the new army the O-Killers.
The Scorched enter the next Agency facility to tear it down, not realizing the O-Killers are waiting. With only Haunt to lend superpowered assistance, the team is quickly overwhelmed, especially when Wynn activates a self-destruct device in his disposable soldiers.
The issue concludes with Jessica Priest accepting an offer she can’t refuse and a painful new status quo in the making.
Character Development:
Layman and McFarlane take a big step forward in Agent Lin’s journey and pave the way for a curious new set of possibilities for Jessica Priest, aka She-Spawn.
Agent Lin is not Agent Lin. That revelation is surprising enough on its own, but it adds an extra dimension of intrigue by revealing that Wynn isn’t as completely in control of the situation as he thinks he is.
Regarding Jessica Priest, the last bits of dialog imply that her new master isn’t going to send her out to do work without enhancements to overcome her recent loss of powers. It’s unclear what Priest will become, but it’s sure bet it won’t be easy or painless.
Artwork and Presentation:
Stephen Segovia’s artwork is excellent. The big wow moments of this issue hit hard in two spots. First, Agent Lin’s once and future life is shocking in its execution (literally). Second, the fight between Scorched and the O-Killers will blow you away (literally, again).
Art Samples:
Pacing and Structure:
Layman’s scene construction is Grade-A stuff. Each scene is meaningful to the plot, and you get a rise and fall of energy that keeps you engaged with anticipation.
Likewise, the plot and story structure is unconventional, but it works. When a story flips to the present, then to the past, then to the recent past, and then to the present, you’d think that would be confusing or hard to follow. Surprisingly, Layman lays it out (*heh*) clearly to bring the disparate pieces in Time together for a clear, cohesive story.
Thematic Exploration:
The theme here isn’t so obvious, but if you had to put a label on it, that theme would be “Even the player with all the cards will get surprised by an Ace up somebody else’s sleeve.” Wynn seems to have thought of everything, but it’s clear that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, and that makes for great curiosity heading into the next issue.
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
The Scorched #29 still grapples with the events of the Heaven/Hell war by centering fully on the consequences for those affected. None of this plot would be possible if Earth-locked individuals hadn’t lost their powers, so this story, compared to the other Spawnverse titles, goes the farthest in building on the fallout, rather than seemly incorporating the loss of power as a twist.
Final Thoughts:
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THE SCORCHED #29 delivers plenty of gritty, explosive action, a couple of surprise twists, and gobs of potential for what comes next. Layman, McFarlane, and Segovia are making the most of the fallout from the Heaven/Hell war.
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