THE AFTERSHOCK ADVISOR: Matt Lowder Looks At ANIMOSITY VOLUME 4

ANIMOSITY VOLUME 4: THE WALLED CITY (#14-18, Aftershock Comics, 2018) Marguerite Bennett, writer. Rafael De Latorre, artist. Rating: 4.5 STARS out of a possible 5 STARS.

Summary from the official Aftershock website:

Jesse and her hound dog, Sandor, have been on the road traveling from New York City to San Francisco to get to a place of safety and reunite Jesse with her half-brother.

 

Jesse has been kidnapped and separated from Sandor. The old hound dog will stop at nothing to return to his cowgirl, but there are some things Sandor can’t shield Jesse from — and once innocence is lost, it’s lost forever.

Review by RUN THE COMICS 5K's Matt Lowder . . . .

This was the strongest arc yet in its writing and themes. Other arcs have been funnier or more action packed - - but this was brutal.

Marguerite Bennett (writer) doesn't shy away from big ideas and issues like forced pregnancy, the morality of eating animals, power, gender roles, adoption, race, the desire to be loved, and the horrors of rejection. This is a social and political book, so you'll love it or hate it, I think.

Issue #15 was the biggest emotional roller coaster in the series yet, and it barely had our lead characters in it. In Issue #15 we get the back story of Hernandez, a character you're supposed to feel conflicted about liking or hating. Great writing. We see him go throw the foster care system and connect some dots about his motivations and hangup. I loved it and it choked me up.

It's about how everyone is ready to adopt the pups or young kids, never the older kids, and how humanity maybe doesn't deserve the second chance it's fighting for in the book. We watch Hernandez grow up and become an adult, then see him in NYC the day of "the Wake" where all animals become sentient and intelligent.

I didn't even mention the central setting of this arc - THE WALLED CITY. Here, a head mistress runs a community where the girls are protected and untouched and the men scavenge, but there's something not right here, you just know it. It's dark when the reality of the structure is revealed. Jesse is trapped there, and Sanford (the protective dog/parent) is "out there." It's stressful.

Volume 4 was a yay or nay for me continuing the series. It's a HELL YAY. 4.5/5

Note: ANIMOSITY Volume 6 and the Omnibus for the sister series ANIMOSITY: EVOLUTION are coming in December and January. Put in your preorder with your local comic shop.