No One Left To Fight #4 is probably the first solid entry in Aubrey Sitterson and Fico Ossio’s short miniseries. This certainly is not a slight considering every previous chapter in this story has been sensational, but No One Left To Fight #4 finally introduces the climactic first and final enemy, and I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed. This will surely prove divisive for fans of the series, but Writer Aubrey Sitterson, Artist and Colorist Ossio, fellow colorist Raciel Avila, and Letterer Taylor Esposito have certainly done enough in No One Left To Fight to assure readers that every character or plot point has its purpose.
No One Left To Fight #4 began like any other No One Left To Fight chapter. Vâle, Timór, Krysta, and Pod are on a mission to find their old comrades Quon and Kaya who now live a simpler, less conflict involving, more natural life. One aspect of No One Left To Fight that Sitterson has succeeded tremendously in is his sense of world-building. Since the beginning, Sitterson has dropped the reader in this world where the main story has already been finished. All of the heroes have fulfilled an arc, and all of the villains have been seemingly vanquished. Despite this, the reader never feels left out or like their lacking information.
Sitterson never beats the reader over the head with narration or uncharacteristic monologues; instead, he opts for his characters to speak naturally. At first, we don’t know the reason why Quon and Kaya chose to separate from society and become peaceful natured hermits. But through their dialogue with each other and our heroes, we learn that Kaya and Quon may have done some unbecoming deeds in the past. But this information is allowed to unfold naturally, so the true gut punch when the Hierophant is introduced is a quick aside, but it hits hard.
The climax of this chapter will draw a line amongst the fans of this story, though. A large part of this story has been the lingering threat of The Hierophant coming back for Vâle. While Sitterson has never explicitly questioned whether the Hierophant was real or not, I feel that there were previous hints of it in the story. For instance, No one has seen the re-emergence of the Hierophant besides Vâle; his feelings of anxiety spurned this entire tale. Then when the Hierophant appeared to Vâle in the previous chapter following Vale’s emotional discussion with Winda, no one else noticed the lightning and thunder that seem to follow the Hierophant’s entrance, but they all heard Winda chewing out Vâle? Couple this with Vâle’s consistent hallucinations/time displacement dilemma, it is easy to theorize that Vâle is merely unwell.
Instead, the Hierophant appears in the flesh to everyone. There is certainly enough time for Sitterson to use this as another tool to further his Shonen-type deconstruction intelligently, but certain fans will be disappointed.
Fico Ossio and Raciel Avila’s art and colors are almost beyond reproach in this chapter. Ossio and Avila are just as deft at depicting a truly serene and peaceful scene in which Vâle has found true happiness fishing as they are depicting total mayhem and destruction such as when the Hierophant appears. Bruton’s dramatic rebirth is like an 80’s death metal album cover designed by a 14-year-old and simply put, it rules. The electric blue lighting crackles off the page, and Bruton’s character design is impeccable. Think a neon-green Doomsday with goat horns and a Luchador mask, yeah… pretty badass. The teaser image for the final issue is even better, and I want it on a poster. Taylor Esposito’s letters at the top of the image are perfect and remind of an announcer introducing a new wrestler into the ring.
No One Left To Fight #4 is further proof that Aubrey Sitterson and Fico Ossio’s creation should not be ignored. While the appearance of the Hierophant may divide the fan base slightly, there is no fear that Sitterson won’t make the result feel earned. Taylor Esposito’s letters and Raciel Avila’s additions to Fico Ossio’s colors are noted and welcome. It is hard to imagine any other creative team taking on No One Left To Fight.
