Things that lie beyond your philosophies

Michael has taken his refuge in the wilderness, and the creators use this time to open the world they’ve created a bit more and show us really how deep the rabbit hole might go.  The trials of Michael have been interesting and bordering on mystical, but there’s always been a chance that what’s happening might all be in his mind.  This issue responds to that idea unequivocally: Something much larger is going on here.

Betvin Geant continues his stellar work in this issue, though there is only one biblical quote this time round.  That makes sense, since most of our story centers away from him for the first time in this series.  We get a peek into the man treating him, and there’s a lot more going on than I had first understood.  We also meet another seeming main character (subtly named after another biblical character) who has work that may begin to tie these people’s live together.  Geant’s writing reminds me a bit of Jim Butcher, taking pieces of mythology and history to tie into a fictional narrative in a way that makes the disparate versions of characters/places make sense within the larger world.  There’s a lot of fun going on here, and the writing is purposeful and wickedly smart.

Kay’s artwork continues to lay down the tone of this odd and unsettling world.  Skewed perspectives and moody panels contribute to the overall offsetting nature of the world they’ve created.  There’s a great depth of emotive quality to Kay’s work which ensures that nothing ever seems dull and the tension never drops.

If you’ve been on the fence on this title and you enjoy the reweaving of known works into something new, then this is the issue that should help to decide for you.  My interest has been piqued by the direction of the narrative that has been hinted at, and I think the payoff will be a hell of a ride.

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