Eric's Comic Review: Lucid #4
Lucid #4 is the final chapter of its Magic History Tour story about the battle against the rise of a new Pendragon. It falls into the trap that so many endings do: abruptness. This is a evidence to the issue's quality in that I actually wanted to see things fleshed out, but it was a slight disappointment all the same.
Michael McMillian has a good script here with smart, quick dialogue that keeps the pacing intense. I enjoyed how he weaved backstory from previous books into the characters' conversation to provide some information to the new reader. This never seems forced as the dialogue flows in a natural cadence which benefits the story as a whole as it blends magic, legend, and conspiracy theory into a cohesive and interesting plot. One can tell that the author was pressed to fit everything he wanted into one 32 page issue. At times, there is no transition from panel to panel, which chops up an overall steady tempo of events. Everything builds to a thrilling and satisfying climax and then to a weak epilogue. For something built up to be huge, it fizzles out, which is a shame because it sets itself up to continue into another arc without a lot of fan fair. It feels like the ending of a job rather than savoring the revelry of saving the world.
The art by Anna Wieszczyk has an Eastern, but not completely Manga quality to it. This works well with the grandiose spells cast. In a palette that consists of chiefly dark colors, the results of incantations light up rooms. The visual contrast makes the final confrontation a spectacle to behold with some very dramatic images and magic that manifest in different ways beyond particle effects.
The same problem with the ending is reflected in the illustrations as well. Despite some brilliant panels preceding it, the epilogue is captured in shades of gray. There's no brightness that conveys a brighter future for the heroes as the accomplishments sink in or darkness presenting the idea that something more sinister is on the horizon. It's like the comic only paid its electric bill for a certain amount of pages and the characters are forced to finish the book with the lights out.
Overall, Lucid #4 is a good book with some fun elements, smart plotting, great visual storytelling, and interesting characters. It, however, ends abruptly in darkness giving the reader little sense of scale in reference to the huge climax. The book just ends.
Story: Michael McMillian
Art: Anna Wieszczyk
Cover: Anna Wieszczyk
32 PAGES/ FC
$3.95
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