Skyward #4 Review

The Last Splash!

Written by: Joe Henderson
Art by: Lee Garbett
Colors by: Antonio Fabela
Letters by: Simon Bowland
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: 18 July 2018 

There probably is a book I look forward to as much as Skyward. I just struggle to think what it is. The first three issues of this series have gone up and up in quality and it really is a series that floats on air if you'll forgive the pun. Will this fourth issue keep the standards rising? Let's see.

The knock-out work on this series for me is the colors that are employed by Fabela. The top modern comics really make great use of the color options available and it is a feature that doesn't often get the credit it deserves. Garbett's art in this issue is magnificent which helps but the sheer variety of colors and shade that Fabela makes use of just makes this book sing on the page. It is a delicious looking book, so good I even called my wife over to look at the hard copy I bought in addition to the review copy I was sent. A side note here is that the quality of the paper that Image uses in their book really serves to enhance the physical experience of the art.

Luckily the standard of the art continues to be matched in the quality of the storytelling. After last issue's cliffhanger, our mind is set at ease from the off, but things seem to be even more challenging for Willa and her father as the events of this issue unravel. We get a little bit of comedy, and a little bit of danger. Perhaps the standout moment though comes with the close of this book when Henderson yet again shows us a physical barrier faced by the characters resulting from the zero gravity atmosphere in the book.

Bits and pieces

This is another strong outing making it 4 for 4 for this creative team. As a reader, I have to say that my appetite for this book continues and the appeal it has not dulled with the passage of the first 4 issues. Nowadays that is an achievement in and of itself, in an era when books increasingly get muddled after the first few issues. There is a clear plan here and it is a joy to watch it unfold.

9.2/10