Assorted Crisis Events #4
Chad Burdette
Recap
Time is having a crisis. Mingling in the red-light district, you can find actual cavemen, medieval knights, and cyborg soldiers on leave from World War IV. Victorian debutantes amble their way into cell phone stores, confused and bewildered (what is a data plan?). On their way to work, bleary-eyed commuters get trapped in time-loops, assaulted by alternate-reality versions of themselves, and try to avoid post-apocalyptic wastelands. And LOOK: the 3:15 bus just took a wrong turn... into the neolithic era.
- Assorted Crisis Events #1: When Things Go Timey Wimey Wibbly Wobbly
- Assorted Crisis Events #2 – Washed In The Blood
- Assorted Crisis Events #3 – A Tale Of Two Hearths
URGENT! PLEASE HELP! I have aged 60 years in 6 days! Life is rapidly passing me by, and I can't make it stop! My mind and body are breaking down, and I’m not sure how much longer I have left! I am in a race against time, and I am losing! If you can help, please call 555-0404. PLEASE, TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Review
Assorted Crisis Events #4 continues to push the storytelling method with a story that is more Twilight Zone than multiple-universe focused.
This issue’s story focuses on the concept of time passing at the blink of an eye as the story’s protagonist goes from waking up in the morning as a kid to living an entire lifetime in the course of the 32-page issue. The passage of time is also represented by smoking, a habit which Mike, the main character, picks up as a young man and eventually leads to a cancer diagnosis as an older adult that kills him.
Camp does an excellent job of telling the story as both Mike and the reader are bounced forward through time as Mike experiences gaps in the narrative of his life, which lead him to question what is going on around him as choices are made and the consequences of said choices lead to the next part of his unexplained life. Like in the previous issues, Camp also works in subtle reminders that there are “Atypical Temporal Phenomena” occurring and the Time Traveller makes several cameos, without disrupting the flow of the story being told.
Eric Zawadzki’s art stands out in this issue as he shows how Mike and those around him age through the flow of time. His art and the three-color palette used by Bellaire throughout work well to tell the story visually, adding a larger level of meaning to the narrative.
Overall, this issue feels like Camp took Five For Fighting’s song “100 Years” and/or Muse’s “Time Is Running Out” as the basis for the issue’s theme, and it works, giving the reader not only a meaty read but some things to ponder.
Final Thoughts
Assorted Crisis Events #4 continues to be a diverse read that pushes the boundaries of time and space storytelling in a Twilight Zone-esque entry in this new series.
Assorted Crisis Events #4
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
