Bonnie Black is an elderly woman living out her last days in a care home. Although visited by a loving granddaughter, surrounded by friends, and filled with memories of a happy life, Bonnie still fears dying. Prone to strokes, she goes to sleep wondering if she will even wake up. But what Bonnie Black doesn’t know is that death is just the beginning…after her death, Bonnie finds herself in a bold, dangerous, and unfamiliar new world. But Bonnie is not alone, as everyone from her past life exists in the new realm, some are friends, some are family, some are enemies, and some are something much worse. And as Bonnie undergoes a journey to track down her husband, her enemies begin to unleash a new plot that could affect the world she left behind and everyone on it.
Reborn #4
A Millarworld Book
Publisher: Image Comics
Written by: Mark Millar
Art by: Greg Capullo
Inks by: Jonathan Glapion
Colors by: Fco Plascencia
Created by: Mark Millar and Greg Capullo
Writing
This was one action packed and violent issue! After building tension, Mark Millar lets loose. We open on a great action scene, as Bonnie shows off her skills and wipes out a bunch of prison guards. It reminds me of some of the best moments in The Matrix if you want a point of reference. It’s a great piece of writing as there is little to no dialog, just panel after panel of shooting and fighting. Of course, this being Millar, there’s some great humor and although everything is graphic, I wouldn’t call it disturbing. Things are serious enough, but there’s still a huge element of fun and pure story-telling at work that makes it a joy to read.
Another great scene is the encounter between Bonnie and her former pet cat, Frosty, who in this realm is a bitter enemy named General Frost. The idea sounds silly, and in any other writer’s hands it might not work, but Millar pulls it off with the perfect tone; it’s absurd but seriously handled. General Frost has been a favorite of mine from the start as both a concept and a character.
There is also some great continued world building as we learn more about the rules of this new life, where magic seems to have a growing presence, and more and more people from Bonnie’s past-life continue to be introduced.
The mystery of her husband is still propelling the story, and knowing Millar’s love for twisting things up, I suspect this is building toward something big. There is also a great bit of a cliffhanger dropped at the end as the villains reveal an aspect of their plan not previously mentioned before.
Art
As strong and fun as the story is, the art continues to be my favorite part about Reborn. Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, and Fco Plascencia are working together to create top notch work. The pencils are filled with energy, the inks make it all solid, and the colors are vibrant but without looking overly glossy. The art team really gets a chance to shine in this issue too, with several over the top and violent action scenes that showcase their talent.
But I must also mention the quiet moments, as facial expressions and background details are equally impressive and well done. Scenes with crowds are well done and don’t suffer from the lack of detail present in some comics when stuff like that is done.
Conclusion
This a fun, smart, and original fantasy comic that hasn’t stopped delivering the goods. Image and Mark Millar are a marriage you can always count on. The book is also pretty accessible for new readers – something you don’t get in many fantasy titles. If the pace keeps up like this, I will continue reading and reviewing this title.
