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Review: ‘Black Science’ #4

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10 years ago

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The Dimensonauts are fractured. Lost in a hostile dimension surrounded by high tech Native Americans who’d love to kill them. Ward leads an empowered charge back to the pillar and the stakes are higher than ever. “Black Science” has its most energetic chapter yet as it refocuses back on the supporting characters lost in this dimensional shuffle.


WRITTEN BY: Rick Remender
ART BY: Matteo Scalera
COLOR BY: Dean White
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: February 26, 2014

So much always seems to be happening in every issue of this book. Remender is the master of breakneck pacing, so its no surprise that you’ll feel pulled along for the wild ride. What does surprise is the heartfelt loss that this month inspires. This chapter is a somber one. It serves up a heaping helping of action to start things off and concludes with the sobering look at the group’s bleak situation.

This issue totally belongs to Ward, every one of these opening pages are absolutely sprightly due to his combat expertise. While, Kadir chugs the story along in his own way. It is clear he’ll pose more of a threat down the line, and the rest of the group really have their moments to react to the chaos around them.

The team is comprised of flawed and realistic characters that all react to their situation in remarkably different ways. The team dynamic remains one of the largest draws in a book already dripping with irresistible concepts. Yet grounded characters rise above everything else.

Remender balances a busy script with relative ease, as does Matteo Scalera. His art continues to impress. Most notably in the opening pages of the issue with the resourceful ways he finds to execute the attacking Native Americans. There is muddy grit to the action that completely fades once the battle has halted. Warm facial expressions abound in this issue, serving to remind us of who these characters are outside of crisis.

Scalera’s thick lines are met with fantastic contrast. There is never a bright moment in the art, despite being surrounded by the vibrancy of Dean White’s neon soaked colors. Something happens in this combination to create a perfect harmony.

Remender’s script gives the perfect tease to carry the story into the next chapter. Everything almost seems to be going right for the group, and in the final moments he manages to spin everything on its head once again. It’s the kind of storytelling he’s known for, and it never disappoints. It doesn’t feel forced and embraces the infinite opportunities afforded by his premise.

The horrors that lie in wait with chapter five of “Black Science” is almost too exciting to fathom. The team is finally back together and united around getting back home, but something tells me that harmony won’t last long.

Rating: 4/5 Skulls

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‘The Toxic Avenger’ Returns with Cover Artwork for First Issue of New Comic Book Series [Exclusive]

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1 week ago

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May 13, 2024

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With a remake on the way and a new 4K restoration of the original classic now streaming, it’s a good time to be a fan of Troma’s The Toxic Avenger. Additionally, Matt Bors — the founder of The Nib and a political cartoonist who has twice been named a Pulitzer Prize finalist —and acclaimed artist Fred Harper (Snelson) are collaborating on an all-new 5-issue comic book series starring the satirical superhero of the Troma Films cult classic films!

TOXIC AVENGER #1 will land in stores on October 9, 2024.

While you wait, you can exclusively check out the issue #1 cover art from Fred Harper below, along with a set of emojis designed by Harper for the extremely online teens of Tromaville.

“The Toxic Avenger delivers what Troma fans want,” said AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. “The series has violent action, gross mutations, bursting pustules, eye-popping visuals, and trenchant humor.” 

“If there was ever a superhuman hero for these toxic, miserable times, Toxie is the one!” said Lloyd Kaufman. “Only AHOY Comics and Bors & Harper could pull this off…er…mop this up! Toxie and the Troma Team can’t wait ‘til you read -no, experience – the art and stories that the Toxic Avenger Comic Book will explode in your brain, your soul, and your heart. Above all, remember – Toxie loves you and so do I.”

“This series will combine elements of the original films with the Toxic Crusaders cartoon and characters in familiar ways, updated to tell a story of environmental devastation, corporate control, and social media mutation,” said Bors. “The Toxic Avenger is first and foremost an environmental satire, one about a small town and its unremarkable people trapped and transformed by circumstances they don’t control. The story Fred Harper and I are telling is about people frustrated by authorities telling them not to worry about their life, that things are fine, even as their dog mutates in front of their eyes. And at its core it is about a powerless boy, Melvin, who finds out he can be incredibly strong, hideously mutated, well-admired, and incredibly heroic… but still ultimately powerless over human behavior.”

In The Toxic Avenger, teenager Melvin Junko helps run his parent’s junkyard in Tromaville, a small town in New Jersey where nothing much ever happens — until an ill-timed train derailment of toxic waste transforms Melvin into a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength: the Toxic Avenger!

Under a media blackout imposed by Biohazard Solutions (BS) and their PR-spewing Chairwoman Lindsay Flick, Melvin emerges as a hero fighting against BS and the mutated threats that keep popping up around Tromaville.

Eventually Melvin uncovers a vast conspiracy more far-reaching than he could have ever imagined — but he knows if everyone is simply made aware of the crisis, they’ll act to stop it. Right?

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