Reviews 

“Beyonders” #4

By | November 30th, 2018
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

With “Beyonders” #4, Paul Jenkins and Wesley St. Clair continue to create a fun romp that is equal parts conspiracy theory and romantic comedy. But, while the series can definitely do funny, when the stakes get ramped up, is it able to bring enough tension?

Written by Paul Jenkins
Illustrated and Colored by Wesley St. Claire
Lettered by Marshall Dillon

Imagine that you were a teenager who had embarked on a treasure hunt of the most epic proportion—a search through mysteries thousands of years in the making—only to discover that the stakes were quite literally the survival of humanity.
Now, imagine that you were accompanied by a brilliant young woman with the power to predict the future using just calculus, and a one-eyed Welsh Corgi with a farting problem. Imagine that by solving the riddles of the treasure hunt, you had the potential to save the world. Is that cool, or what?
Well, imagine that the very book you were enjoying this story in contained its own awesome treasure hunt, hidden inside every panel, and you’d have BEYONDERS #4! Even cooler.

“Beyonders” #4 begins with a scene between Jake and Narine star-gazing with their corgi, Shadwell. The issue opens with a monologue, from Jake, talking about all the mysteries of the universe, about how there are so many things in the world that we still don’t understand, and that maybe humanity as a collective is just asking the wrong questions. The idea of the wrong questions, of wrong priorities, seems to apply to the actual comic itself. While “Beyonders” #4 is pitched as a series about a thousand-year-old mystery, with the fate of humanity at stake. But, where the issue really works, is when its main characters just lay around in the grass, talking, staring at the stars.

Paul Jenkins’ script does a good job of keeping the entire issue light. “Beyonders” #4 has a decent amount of forward momentum in regard to the series main plot, and a decent chunk of action. But the moments that work best at the small ones, the ones where it is two characters just interacting. When Jake and Narine are laying in the grass, they try to get up and trip over one another, falling into an embrace. It’s a fun moment, and a sweet one. The relationship between these two characters is a highlight, and when Jenkins spends time letting them interact, the issue is at its best.

Unfortunately, when the issue is more focused on its main plot, the whole thing it a bit too forgettable. The central mystery doesn’t have enough pull, and feels at times like a bunch of unconnected, randomly occult sounding ideas and theories just thrown together. It’s not bad, really, but it’s not especially substantial. Which would be fine, if this issue seemed more willing to focus on interactions between the characters. However, the back half of “Beyonders” #4 veers into high stakes action territory and reveals about the central mystery. And while the action works, the reveals about the mystery are just… fine.

During the action sequences, Wesley St. Claire’s work is the star of the show, and he does a great job handling the more intense sequences. St. Claire colors his own work and uses a washed-out pallet. From the sundrenched yellow and browns of the day time, to the cool greys and blues of the underground vault the pair wanders into. And when a gunfight breaks out in that vault, explosive yellows that streak across the page as gun fire.

St. Claire’s figures have a dynamic energy to them, and an angular quality that works both in the smaller scenes, and at times where the action heats up. His character acting works really well, and though his faces are simple, he is able to pull a lot of emotion out of his characters. He is also, between Jake and Narine, able to create great, small moments of intimacy and tension, that really make the characters come to life. There are a number of jokes and funny moments in “Beyonders” #4 where the dialogue probably wouldn’t have landed at all if it weren’t for the great work by St. Claire.

Continued below

One of the most interesting choices in “Beyonders” can be found in the lettering, in the way Marshall Dillion choose to handle the tails on his word balloons. Instead of using word with the traditional, small triangle or curved angle tails pointing to the mouth of the speaker, Dillion has opted instead to use a single line, pointing from the balloon to the speaker’s mouth. While this technique has some advantages, it prevents dialogue from covering up as much of the artwork as it would regularly, it does have some drawbacks as well.

The single line is black, though it has a thin white stroke around it, mostly works as intended. However, there are a few times in the issue where the tail can get lost amidst the artwork. In these cases, mostly in instances where the coloring behind the tail is dark, or the artwork is just very busy, the tail gets almost completely lost. In most cases, one can usually use intuition to figure out who is talking, and it was never confusing for most than a second. But it’s a small hiccup worth addressing.

“Beyonders” #4 is a fun issue, though the places where is succeeds are not necessarily the places one might want it to. The central mystery in this issue is fine, though not especially compelling. But the characters interactions, and the moments where the issue is a little bit lighter, really make the entire thing work. If you’re a fan of light mysteries, and fun characters, it’s worth checking out.

Final Verdict: 6.5 – “Beyonders” #4 is a fun, though not entirely successful romp that works best when it’s focused on its two lead characters.


Reed Hinckley-Barnes

Despite his name and degree in English, Reed never actually figured out how to read. He has been faking it for the better part of twenty years, and is now too embarrassed to ask for help. Find him on Twitter

EMAIL | ARTICLES