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Honor amongst Thieves. That phrase is being pushed to the limits in DSTLRY’s latest hit! Bobby Prost is brought back into the crime life for one last score. An uninhabited planet with riches. A quick score. Unfortunately, reality says otherwise.
The “Casanova Killer” Cory James is there with others serving a relentless life sentence. They see the chance to escape their daily hell and look ready to take it. Who will be the one to survive this deadly game of Life?
LIFE #4 by Brian Azzarello, Stephanie Phillips, Danijel Zezelj, Lee Loughridge and Jared K. Fletcher leads readers into the next chapter of the flip-style story of “Pros” and “Cons”
Teaming up for this review is Rich (N.I. Wrestling/Bullpen review) and yours truly (Ken – EIC/ODPHpodcast). Let’s take a closer look at where things play out now.
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
HOW ABOUT THE STORY:
KEN: “Pros” leads off with an attack onto the ship. It launches the story into a frantic pace. There is an overwhelming sense of danger looming. The thieves panic and do as needed to survive. It results with more damage than good. The writing showcases their trust breakdown. This is highlighted with Caddy and Fiona. Their dialogue coves up the brooding resentment of the mission at hand. Readers also witness Jax leading a squad to a possible win. The writing here builds up a glimmer of hope but for how long? Only time will say.
READ LAST ISSUE’S REVIEW
“Cons” picks right up with James’ deal with Jax from last issue. James’ devilish calm shines again as he brokers a deal. The conflict with Queen pours on the pages. It leads to some memorable banter between her and James. Queen’s endgame is a shocking move. This pushes towards the closing act. The writing continues to keep the audience guessing. As the final page hits, a sobering realization hits with doubts for a future. It’s seamless how Azzarello and Phillips pull this off. High level storytelling at its’ finest.
RICH: Fantastic Story. Both “Pros” and “Cons” have their own style to them. “Pros” focused in on the groups’ mistrust. It will have readers on the edge of their seats. “Cons” is all James. The way he is written locks you in from first panel to close. Talk about a mic drop closing! It added a touch of horror into the jam packed issue.
LET’S TALK ART AND LETTERING
KEN: Zezelj and Loughridge let the raw emotions take over the beginning of “Pros”. Both parties flow on the pages to create the uneasiness. Loughridge’s coloring makes each moment jump off the page. Between Jax’s group and Caddy/Fiona, the frustrations are boiling over. Panels are very detailed as the mission presses forward. It concludes with a full page image that seems too good to be real.
“Cons” brings out James’ dark charisma while facing off with Queen. The coloring here brightens the dark mood. It leads into recap of James’ transformation. Readers watch in awe as the story moves through points to Queen’s endgame. At this stage, all bets are off. The close is presented in a reddish light. It translates to readers the rage brewing of what has just happened. The closing full image spells certain doom for one person. It’s a haunting shot that works to put an exclamation point on the chapter.
RICH: Excellent art. The coloring steals the show here. Loughridge sweeps readers up with each variation used. Take nothing away from Zezelj. “Cons” attention to the Queen/James paring hits a home run. No better proof of that then the final page. Readers are gonna love it.
OVERALL GRADE: 9.5/10
KEN: 9.5 Is there honor amongst thieves? That is the question answered within Life’s latest installment. Azzarello and Phillips weave many layers into a highly tense story. Zezelj and Fltecher’s work is taken to a whole other level with Loughridge’s coloring. There really is nothing like “Life” at the shops. It’s a true storytelling experience.
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RICH: 9.5 Being my introduction to Life it was easy to follow and pick up, even with the flip style. The story has a little bit of everything to tickle any readers fancy, with some of the best art to match the great story. This should be a sure fire pick up at the LCS this week.