The Superannuated Man #4 Review

The last issue left on a bit of a tense moment, so The Superannuated Man #4 has more than enough to work with this month. It’s been an interesting ride so far, so what else does the title have in store?

The official description from Image:

Having barely survived the tortuous antics of the mad scientist Armadillo Jones and his assistant Leopoldo, the human called HE escapes deeper into the viscous underbelly of hand water, and finds himself in even worse circumstances.

This issue isn’t nearly as tense or action-packed as it has been in the past, but that’s part of the major appeal. The Superannuated Man isn’t above throwing the odd curve-ball and this issue is a perfect example. In all honesty, I prefer this change as, quirky as it may seem, it adds some fresh breathing space that keeps the title unpredictable.

In terms of the writing, Ted McKeever’s flair for unusual settings and exellent dialogue flows with full force. This is a very talkative issue, so it helps that McKeever is able to give people distinct voices and guide the entire plot onwards without the need for narration. That said, the ending does give away to some wordless pages that tease more about the setting than they do explain anything. Still, it keeps the title unique and is appealing nonetheless.

Visually, this title benefits from having only one artist. As the creator, writer and artist, McKeever is able to draw to his heart’s content, something shown particularly well in the last few panels. In this issue, McKeever shows more detail with his striking black and white visuals, including some darker moments with a fantastic attentiont to detail on facial structures and all the wrinkly shadows involved – it’s just the right combination of beautiful and disgusting.

All in all, this is another fine entry for a series that continues to impress and intrigue. With only 2 issues left, I’m interested to see where it’s going, as this issue teases a little, but perhaps not enough.