The Dead Hand #4
Image Comics
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Stephen Mooney
How would I describe The Dead Hand in two words?
“Freaking Awesome” would be an easy one to go to. “Hella Cool” is another. “Series WHEN???” also comes to mind.
It’s good.
Like REALLY good.
The Dead Hand is a series that follows a group of people located in the nice quiet little town of Mountain View, minding their own business, working about their day to day lives. Oh, they are also making sure that the world doesn’t end at the hands of a fully operating superweapon. With countless twists and turns, unpredictable cliffhangers, intriguing characters and mysterious Cold War conspiracies galore, this book delves right into the world of classic Noir Spy Thrillers. The tone is tense throughout. It keeps readers on their feet, paying attention to every detail as things slowly spiral deeper and more out of control on each page.
Higgins is a master of suspense and mystery. After the first issue, I actually read it three more times just to grasp what I was reading. I was honestly thinking it was going to be something along the lines of “oh ok its going to be this old American super-spy has to take down some ex-Russian super soldiers that have snuck into America and want to BLOW UP THE WORLD.” Instead, we have this really bland looking town as the main setting, and this big mystery just waiting to go off underneath their feet like an active volcano that’s remained dormant for too long. This issue feels like the calm before the storm. Ellis’ investigation of his friend and Harriet’s involvement is being handled nicely, building up the suspense and tension as if a giant clock is slowly ticking towards 12.
New characters are introduced in each issue and there is the desire to know more about them. It’s difficult to trust anyone in this series. This issue sheds a bit more light on the character Harriet, who I thought was actually going to create a load of unnecessary drama after the events she witnessed in the first issue but is actually quite broken. Raised by a mother who seems so detached from everyone, actually trained to kill, Harriet enters her teenage years with a rebellious streak that would make every 80’s teen movie character proud. We are also introduced to another new character: Russian Defector Vil Anobov who aids M16 agent Ellis in finding out what happened to his friend Frederick.
Art is supplied by Stephen Mooney, and what Mooney does with a page is like something out of a movie. Nearly every page, especially the splash pages, feel like a storyboard or something ripped off of a high budget film. There are a number of cinematic shots that just look gorgeous. I will say that sometimes a character looks stiff but then he gives us moments that are just astounding. It really matches and suits Higgins’ writing style. Everything feels like it belongs on the big screen.
If you like a good mystery, spy movies, thrillers, cold war era shenanigans, or just a good comic in general, this is worth your time. To Marvel fans, Higgins captures the Brubaker Captain America/Winter Soldier feel but has his own flair to it. Checking on Image’s website, this appears to be only 6 issues, a pretty contained story which is great. I’m going to wait impatiently until the next issue is out.
The Dead Hand #4
Another awesome addition to the enigmatic and dramatic spy thriller. The Dead Hand has really knocked it out of the park with the perfect amount of suspense, action, and characters.
-
Story
-
Characters
-
Art