Bad Thoughts #4 – Nothing Comes Free In This World

Jack and Nessa thought the other was dead. In Bad Thoughts #4, they begin to reckon with the history of working for a man like Bishop. Reunited by the same man who tore them apart, it’s time for Jack and Nessa to begin turning the tables. With an appetite for vengeance, they prepare to take the fight to Bishop and take him down no matter the cost.

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: Ande Parks
Artist: Dave Wachter
Color Artist: Brad Simpson
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Cover Artist: Dave Wachter

Writing

Ande Parks pulled out all the stops in this penultimate issue of Bad Thoughts. Picking up right where the last issue left off, Parks still shows us new wrinkles in Jack’s life and his abilities this deep into the story’s run, and it’s impressive. The thing that I most liked about this issue is that even when you knew what was going on, Parks managed to reveal that the depth of depravity that Bishop Security has been involved in goes deeper than even the most astute reader would capture. Parks makes it feel like a blindfold being slowly peeled off as you begin to realize Bill is a master manipulator and an all around despicable person.

Parks has done a beautiful job showing you who Bishop is throughout the series, but Bad Thoughts #4 pulls back the curtain and reveals the depth of his sociopathy through those in close relationships with him. That twist of the issue is not one that you would suspect. It’s not that there’s some big reveal of a new character or something of that nature, but Parks’ twist lies in seeing the depth of depravity for a man who began the story in your mind as a good guy. Of course there is a genuine cliffhanger that the story ends on setting up the final issue beautifully, but this issue is less about Jack and more about Bill and the depths of his darkness.

Art

I love everything about what Dave Wachter and Brad Simpson did in this issue. Wachter continues to perfectly capture the feel of this story through art. The line work on this issue was top notch. Emily was so well drawn by Wachter that you couldn’t look upon her without feeling pain yourself. I also loved the close ups we got in this issue. Wachter really shined in those panels whether it was simply getting a helping hand to get up or a close up of a face crying, the line work, the hatching and shading, it all felt perfect.

Brad Simpson does a beautiful job with the colors on this issue. One thing Simpson does amazingly well in this series is the way he lights a scene. There’s a particular series of panels in this issue where Jack and Nessa are sharing a pretty painful experience and the way Simpson colors the panels to show the lighting is just superb. The characters are colored well but its the backgrounds that Simpson shines.

Final Thoughts

Bad Thoughts #4 beautifully sets up the finale of this series while moving the story forward. While the story is still solidly Jack’s, Parks, Wachter, and Simpson give us a dive into the mind and depravity of Bill Bishop raising the stakes for why Jack trying to stop him wont be enough. The stakes have never been higher and Jack has no choice but to succeed.

Overall Grade: 10/10

What do you think about Bad Thoughts so far? Let me know in the comments