As this mini-series barrels toward its conclusion, has our hero truly gotten in over his head?  Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

 The saga of fast rising MMA fighter Joe Palooka continues as he travels to exotic and dangerous Hong Kong. Joe seeks to make a name for himself as a fast-rising MMA star-while clearing his name since he’s wanted for murder back home in Southern California.

When I pick up this comic book for review, I can’t help the fact that in so many ways this narrative with its stereotypical muscle bound characters is nothing short of a guilty pleasure.  It’s usually a mindless affair with a hint of soul beneath its corny skin that seams to yield a solidly entertaining jaunt that’s literally straight out of an old school action movie.

The rather simple but competent script penned by Mike Bullock yields solid character progression from a franchise that up to this point has simply been devoid of anything of the sort.  Mind you it’s light but nonetheless it’s still there when our hero sees the cost of his current predicament as a friend is taken away following a loss.  I’m not going to lie the dialogue is just as stiff as it has been but in this singular scene I finally felt something more for our lead than simply the fist pumping motion of pure victory.

Fernando Peniche does an excellent job yielding a competent style that simply fits the saga of Joe Palooka.  His pencil strokes offer up realized forms with enough detail that each individual blow is literally felt.  The layered details yield some fascinating expressions that could only exist in the hyper-real world of a comic book. That said, there were several moments where instances just like the one I described brought forth some odd looking visuals that detracted from the overall experience.

Joe Palooka #4 offers a fight but delivers a little bit of heart.  Before you reach the final page of this little adventure you’ll more than likely find yourself to be quite pleased with this simplistic purchase.  Recommended.

3.5/5