Snow Angels #4

Snow Angels #4

ComiXology Originals 2021

Written by Jeff Lemire

Illustrated by Jock

Lettered by Steve Wands

In the sense-shattering conclusion of "Season One", Mae Mae and Millie struggle to survive a to-the-death battle with The Snowman!

The final issue of season one packs one hell of a sucker gut punch I’ll say this much. I wasn’t quite prepared for what we were going to see here and that alone is something I cherish because if I can be surprised by reading a story than these guys are definitely doing something right. On the surface this seem such a simple idea, a man and his daughters return home to find his village destroyed with no survivors and learning that The Snowman is real and he’s after them. Straightforward and simple right, heavens no not simple at all and the race to get away from this killer and learn what their father can teach them as they struggle to stay one step ahead of the fate chasing them is fraught with danger, secrets, lies and betrayal. Something that appears so simple is usually something that skill, talent and drive make en the hardest and most complex look easy. This is what they guys do, they take something extraordinary and make it looks so simple and it’s so beautifully done.

I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is exquisitely rendered. The character development is extraordinary thanks to how we see the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances that they encounter. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story with its twists & turns along the way the reader finds themselves shivering in anticipation.

I greatly appreciate the way we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and strengthen depending on where they are in the story. This is where we see the greatest revelation of them all and how this adds such depth and complexity to the story is absolutely delicious and tension filled. I’m amazed by the continuing unveiling of information here. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is perfectly achieved.

The interiors here are absolutely bloody stunning. Jock’s style is his and his alone and the way we see the linework and how it works to show movement and action is extremely well rendered. That we see backgrounds being utilised is fantastic and then even in the trench and the snow we get some dynamic depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is brilliant as well. The whites and blues that dominate the landscape through their various hues and tones is rather quite stunning to behold. The vision that comes to life here is sublime and its done in such a way that showcases such amazing talent, skill and sometimes just pure chutzpah. The words are one thing but this is easily compliments them perfectly and if need be could tell the story all on its own.

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I was really resistant at first to reading books online, the digital comic, but with stories like this that really capture something amazing it changes your opinion. ComiXology is the leader in digital comics for a reason and they don’t compromise or scrimp at all, instead they put out books that rival anything you’ll hold in your hands. This is some extraordinary storytelling thanks to this smart, intelligent writing and dynamic interiors showcase some of today’s best talents.