Pine & Merrimac #4 is written by Kyle Starks and published by BOOM! Studios. Illustration is by Fran Galán and letters by Pat Brosseau. Main cover art (left) is also by Galán.
Pine & Merrimac #4 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
After Parker and Linnea finally discover the inner workings of what was once thought to be a seemingly quiet town, Linnea faces a soul-shattering heartbreak.
Are these their final days on the corner of Pine & Merrimac, or will Linnea take advantage of an unexpectedly sinister opportunity?
Review
I’m not sure I’m quite ready to compute that the final issue of Pine & Merrimac has arrived in comic book stores. Over the past five months writer Kyle Starks has really subverted expectations with a series that has consistently delivered big twists for these two incredible characters. This week’s final issue is no different, delivering several huge character beats which lead in to a head scratcher of an exploding grenade with the series’ final, full page panel.
Last month’s penultimate issues left fans reeling. The sudden, unexpected and grisly death of Parker left Linnea to shoulder the entire finale on her own… or did it? The series did such a wonderful job of setting up the private detectives and their relationship that even seeing Linnea alone on the cover of this issue feels amiss. But what unfolds behind that cover is perhaps even more shocking. Starks has delivered such a strong message about who Linnea and Parker are as people and what they stand for. So seeing Linnea react to Parker’s death in such a definitive and aggressive manner is both troubling but essential to who she is.
Starks punctuates the devastating turn of events with a flashback which serves to remind of us just how pure the relationship between the couple once was. The dialogue-heavy scene stands out for a number of reasons. Firstly, much of the rest of issue #5 is sparse in dialogue. Particularly those moments either side of the flashback. It’s also brightly light and filled with hope which is highly contrasted by the nighttime scenes it sits between.
Now I need to choose my words carefully so as to not spoil the ending. But Starks well and truly pulls the rug out from under the audience following Linnea’s catastrophic revenge mission against the powerful local cabal. Some might anticipate the act of revenge the big finish for Pine & Merrimac round one. But the book has more mileage than that and what follows is a truly bonkers turn of events that absolutely has to setup future storytelling. Starks has a message about love; its futility and its inevitability, which is beautifully punctuated in these final moments of the book. Whilst readers looking for a finite end to this case for the detective team might find themselves lost. There are bigger, more existential themes at play which feel true to the books contemporary spin on noir storytelling.
Fran Galán has done such a wonderful of breathing life in to Starks story across the series. This final issue is overflowing with emotion. Outside of the general storytelling that’s in play here, Galán’s work in facial expressions belongs on the wall of a gallery somewhere. Without giving context, the final full page panel of Linnea’s face is exquisite. Every piece of fine detail communications the bewilderment and confusion she’s feeling and it leaves the audience with no doubt as to the intent of those final moments. Bravo.
Verdict
A huge final issue bringing the story full circle in ways nobody will see coming. Starks’ ultimate message about the fatality of love is beautifully punctuated by Galán’s incredible and at times devastating artwork.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
