End of Life #4 is written by Kyle Starks and published by DC Comics. Artwork is by Steve Pugh, colours by Chris O’Halloran and letters by Becca Carey. Main cover art (left) is by Gerald Parel.
End of Life #4 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
The Menagerie has met its match! No, not Eddie. Come on. It’s Eddie’s father, George! He’s got the jump on the Menagerie’s best tracker, Drahthaar, who has found his way to Pluto. It’s a match of wits and weapons, but George has always said he won’t protect Eddie, so what’s his move here? And what made George into the hard-ass he is today? Well, you’re getting a flashbaaack!
Review
Not that it had anything to prove in the first place, but End of Life has continuously outdone itself over the last three issues, whether it be through its storytelling, action or comedy. Each instalment has naturally evolved the narrative in new and exciting ways whilst keeping things humorous and tense…and issue four is no different.
The first half of the issue switches things up and focuses on Eddie’s father, George. So far, he has come across as a hardened man who only ever gets aggravated by his son, understandably so. Starks uses this time to delve into George’s history, which Pugh’s artwork brings vividly to life, all while building palpable tension in the present-day situation.
The back-and-forth between the flashbacks and the squaring off between George and the Menagerie’s tracker, Drahthaar, comes to a head in an explosive fashion as they both open fire on each other. This one moment solidifies his fatherly instincts, even though he despises his son at times; at the end of the day, he’s still his dad. Despite his illness, he puts his life on the line to protect his boy, disproving Eddie’s misguided point of view of his dad being a miserable, selfish old man.
While this is happening, Eddie tries to talk down another Menagerie member at the local gas station, this one being in a bear mask. Their “exchange” quickly turns into a half-arsed game of calling out each other’s stupidity, which seems fitting for someone like Eddie. It’s interesting seeing how Starks portrays the threatening Menagerie members as over-the-top and, at times, blithering idiots. They’re probably competent killers in their own right, but when you have a guy in a chicken mask shouting ‘Big Cock’ or a guy in a bear mask getting outsmarted by Eddie of all people, you start to see that this once menacing organisation is made up of people just as baffling and contradictory as Eddie himself.
The issue ends things off on a cliffhanger where the gas station owner’s son is kidnapped by Richard Smiley and his gang, meaning Eddie has to begrudingly help her. Yes, Eddie may be an arrogant idiot and talks first and thinks second, but this issue and this series as a whole are gradually dissecting his personality, showing there is a human side to him when you look beyond the cockiness.
End of Life delivers once again, adding new depth and emotion to the comical and chaotic hijinks that Eddie has got himself into. What started as a thrilling and hilarious series seems to be getting funnier and more layered with each passing instalment.
Verdict
Four issues in, and Starks and co keep finding new ways to make Eddie one of the most stupidly arrogant but likeable protagonists in recent comics. This instalment wonderfully balances engaging character work with palpable tension, sharp dialogue, and a strong visual flair that has held this series together since day one.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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