“Black Science” has had Grant McKay running the show up until now. His tragic death last issue means someone’s gotta step up, take command and save the day, and that person is surprisingly Kadir.
WRITTEN BY: Rick Remender
ART BY: Matteo Scalera
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: April 30, 2014
Reviewed by Torbin Chimners
Kadir was originally an antagonizing force but this issue transforms him into our protagonist. With only Kadir present, Grant bestows upon him his dying wish, for his children to return to their proper dimension, safe and alive.
Now, Kadir’s not the kind of guy who throws a dying man’s wish around like yesterday’s jam. In fact, as the narration goes on, we learn that there is no person better to trust with your dying wish than Kadir. This isn’t his first rodeo. He quickly proves himself quite capable and, if you told me this six issues ago I wouldn’t have believed it, likable. I’m honestly a huge fan of Kadir’s character transformation here.
As much as I enjoyed Grant, and once again I can’t believe I’m saying this, I enjoy Kadir more. He’s got passion, sass and heroics in spades. Kadir’s new leadership role is the fresh change up for a book that was so good it didn’t need to change anything at all.
Speaking of change, let’s hope and pray to Cthulhu that Matteo Scalera sees this series all the way to its glorious conclusion. His hard and edgy line-work has become synonymous with “Black Science.” I’d hate to see Remender’s one-of-a-kind words be captured by an artist that doesn’t totally get it like Scalera clearly does. He continues to hit it out of the park and into the stratosphere in the visuals department with some breathtaking spreads (especially the first one, which keeps this book a rung above most others.)
This is an epic in the making, but it side steps the black holes that most comic book epics fall into. Namely feeling lackluster issue to issue but forming a solid whole upon completion. *Cough* Hickman *cough*. Remender keeps things interesting every single month and storms ahead full speed with reckless abandon. I feel like I’m inching farther and farther off the edge of my seat with each issue that passes. By the time this series has ended I’ll be hanging off the very edge of existence.
Torbin Chimners AKA Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter@Vulgar_Rhombus