The Domain #4 // Review
Fez, Liz and Max are being confronted by a group of space pirates from somewhere other than Earth. The aliens have great power and advanced tech. That’s the bad news. The good news is that they have equally powerful tech. The bad news is that they have to take turns using it. The trio are in great danger in The Domain #4. Writer Chip Zdarsky reaches the penultimate chapter of his mini-series with artist Rachel Stott and colorist Eren Angiolini. The trio or first to make important decisions in the final chapter, leading up to the finale of the series.
The team doesn’t want to trust Wee-Lan. They’ve had the extra terrestrial tied up in a chair for much of the past few issues. He knows more about the technology than any of the rest of them. He can help them out they have to trust him. And they may need to trust him soon. The space pirates are closing in. They claim that there’s an entirely different empire that would gladly take over the entire planet if it turns out that they were to try to hold onto the technology. Naturally, the trio, I don’t want to trust the space pirates either.
Zdarsky frames the action quite well in an issue that features some really sharp and witty dialogue. The conflicting forces that are all closing and searching for this particular technology our juggled, with a clever sense of impact and timing at throughout the issue. Zfarski is playing with toys that have been pretty well developed elsewhere for other series. If uses them together in a way that feels fresh and new and interesting. Every member of the ensemble seems to be asserting themselves quite well on the page. Everyone’s distinct and has a very clear and appealing personality. Zdarsky is throwing a party on the page and it IS generally quite fun.
Stott’s clean line and dynamic characterization develop a remarkably clean energy to the page that brings across the power of Zdarsky’s story with great intensity. There’s also a great deal of nuance in the way she is portraying the characters emotions. Zdarsky’s dialogue suggests deep, emotional complexity for the characters, even though they’re in what appears to be a very simple, action adventure story. Story vividly brings that emotional complexity to the page.
Zdarsky and Stott are making a really good case for what could be an ongoing series. The five issues of this series seem like a really good sales pitch for what could be be a very long-running series. And there’s a lot of potential in and around the edges of the ensemble and a basic premise of the power of.The Domain that could be a lot of fun to explore under the right circumstances. As it is, it’s been kind of interesting little experiment that could become something unique given the right momentum. That momentum could take a while to develop, but it’s been a great deal of fun so far.
