Wild’s End #4 finds Slipway and his group in deep trouble. Having fled from one of the invaders, they find themselves surrounded by many of them. Fortunately, Fawkes is there to give them one more chance to run.
And run they do, in search of some way to contact the authorities they hope will be able to help them. Abnett does a good job of establishing the level of threat the group faces, and has already established that anyone can die, leaving their fate uncertain from one page to the next. The character interaction is great, with everyone deferring to Slipway who is as bewildered as they are but doing his best to take charge and plan for the future. Miss Peardew’s abrasive commentary adds a welcome dash to the group as she and Slipway play off one another.
I am looking forward to some answers soon: Slipway is already guessing that the creatures come from outer space, but I am hoping that more certainty will be revealed soon: These aren’t Wells’ creatures inside of machines, but what are they? And where are they from? Is this a worldwide plague?
Abnett and I.N.J. Culbard continue to match animal to character, and Culbard draws beings that are recognizably animal but also human enough to be expressive in ways we will recognize—while carrying guns, smoking, and owning houses and furniture.
There is a short excerpt from one of Lewis Cornfelt’s science fiction romances (as written and revised by Ms. Peardew) at the end, and Abnett had waaay too much fun writing it. It hits every catch-phrase and descriptive flourish found in pulp science fiction, and does so in three pages, while undercutting itself for the joy of it. It is worth the price of admission all by itself.
Created by Dan Abnett & I.N.J. Culbard
Writer: Dan Abnett
Illustrated and Lettered by I.N.J. Culbard
Cover: I.N.J. Culbard
