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Writer: Skottie Young
Art: Jorge Corona
Coloring Jean-François Beaulieu
Lettering: Nate Piekos
Gimmick or artistic endeavor? Seeing that Ain’t No Grave #4 was going to be a silent issue it had me wondering where exactly this would fall. As mentioned in some of my past reviews and this week’s Top 10 Most Anticipated I got the sense this entire storyline was building to this point. So I knew where I was leaning towards initially. Now the question became could they follow through?
Taking place after the events of the last issue we see Ryder traversing the underworld lost with her eyes set on confronting death. Before she gets there she encounters some other ghastly creatures and the bottom of a few bottles as well. One wonders if she has any hope left or if her fate has long been sealed.
Before I get to the storytelling have to mention just the unique and beautiful grotesque style Jorge Corona and Jean-François Beaulieu have designed for this se
ries. You see a plethora of hard edges that are often uneven to demonstrate how out of place this world has become. Characters will often break panel borders to show how they do not conform to the norms of any world. Before we even got to this issue much was being done with this art to define this story and world.
When it comes to a silent issue the most important element is comprehension. Simply does it make sense? My answer to that would be for the most part it is easy to follow what is occurring. At the same time this is also a story with a great deal of fantasy elements including new characters that are just now being introduced so there is a lot left for interpretation. Now that is not inherently a negative as it can make the experience even more immersive as you put the pieces together yourself to determine what exactly is happening. At the same time if you are a person who likes to know the why behind everything you may run into some frustration.
Beyond the basic element of comprehension is wondering if the lack of dialog made for a better experience. Certainly, the response to that would be subjective but one thing it does do is make you pay far more attention to the art on the page. As a reader, you are an active participant more than ever so you need to pay attention to the details for things to make sense. For example, as the story opens we shift timelines from the present to the past rather suddenly. It could be easy to miss as the only indication is the change in Ryder’s outfit. At first glance, I did not realize what happened until we got this great mirror shot of Ryder in the past in the left panel and in the present in the right. Both scenes take place in near identical settings after Ryder was dealt the ultimate bad hand. It was at that moment that I understood where this issue was coming from.
Much of this issue was about mood and Jean-François Beaulieu did much of the heavy lifting to accomplish that feat. One of the best examples of this was a scene of Ryder running in the rain after a shadowy figure. Soft blues layered next to some sharpened blacks elicited this overwhelming feeling of melancholy. Then that scene was abruptly broken by the only real noise we hear in this issue a musical note highlighted in pale orange. It was like this small beacon of hope in a place where it was not often found. Very impressive work all around.
Ain’t No Grave #4 is all about trust. Trust in the artists that they can tell a story without the use of words and barely any sound effects. Also, trust in the audience that they can piece together elements that may require some work. The trust pays off with an issue that demonstrates the many facets of the language of comics by removing a piece that is often the foundation of most issues. What you are left with is a feat in visual storytelling.
Overall: 8.5 out of 10
