Review - Extermination #4

The odd couple pairing of Red Reaper and Nox continues on its merry way, with the two still not completely trusting one another. No worries though. Encountering a slew of other powered individuals in Extermination #4 from BOOM! Studios will make their partnership even shakier.

The issue is written by Simon Spurrier, with art by Jeffrey Edwards and V Ken Marion, colors by Vladimir Popov and John Charles and letters by Ed Dukeshire.

The duo starring in the comic continue their trek to New Orleans, dealing with husks, straying superheroes and Redeye, a man who would make Cyclops jealous. Manaing to deal with all the obstacles and then some put Red Reaper and Nox in a position to encounter a whole slew of new heroes, including Harpy, Yugel, Charon, the Moray Queen, Kordite, Musth and The Synthesist.

To say that the issue is about a girl oversimplifies it, but Davina is at the center of attention shared by Nox and Absolute. The two heroes have a past and all roads seem to lead to Absolute. The rematch is eminent, which will make for great theater and fighting.

The strongest part of Extermination #4 is Spurrier's dialogue. The back and forth banter between Nox and Read Reaper is fast-paced and funny. You can sense the uneasiness in their alliance by reading their conversations, which adds a lot to the story.

The story as a whole is a little more muddled. There seems to be a more refined goal in place after the fourth issue and adding in the other heroes freshens up the dynamic between Nox and Red Reaper. Whether or not the entire group can actually co-exist though remains to be seen and watching them match up against Absolute will be a great test.

The art duties are split by Edwards and Marion and the pages seem awful crowded. Both protagonists wear dark costumes, which makes it difficult to see what's happening sometimes. There's a gritty filter applied to the work as well, but you can't help but wonder how much more attractive this book would be if the art looked cleaner.

Extermination seems to be transforming into something more where the extermination level event is a backdrop. The new focus seems to be on fighting back, which is a natural progression in a story such as this. Hopefully fighting the invaders isn't replaced by infighting amongst the heroes themselves.

Extermination #4 is in stores today with interiors below.