LITTLE MONSTERS #4: The Cost Of Change

Lemire and Nguyen continue with the familiar structure. The opening starts in the past focusing on the history of a specific child vampire and their last moments before they became what they are. This issue it’s the twins Ray and Ronnie. The choice is clever and deliberate on Lemire’s part, with the insight into the characters there comes a certain amount of connection and then Lemire bounces back into the present and exploits that connection with a brilliant and shocking moment right at the end of the issue.

Lemire explores the themes of the chaos that change brings and the resistance to change. This is exemplified in Billy, who is the beacon that leads the other children down the unexplored path in search of more humans and more blood quashing one of the twins doubts and the others when they find themselves further out their territory than they have ever been. Lemire contrasts this with Romie and the human girl Laura, Romie is completely opposite of Billy, they have no interest in drinking her blood and neither do the two other children they meet up with. The issue really highlights the monstrous naivete of the children as they come upon the human encampment and it’s expressed well in the dialogue between the children as they attack them and drink blood. They treat the killing like another one of their games but as they quickly learn attacking capable adults has consequences.

Nguyen’s art continues to be a wonderful play of of shadows and light, broken only by the crimson splashes of blood across the page. Most of the time Nguyen sticks to showing the children as children and then he will contrast that with by switching the contrast coloring of a child in the background. It’s a subtle visual reminder that these children are predators to go along with the more obvious things on the page. I really connected with Ronnie and Ray in this issue and Nguyen’s facial expressions are a big part of that connection in tandem with the dialogue which set you up for the shocking last page. Wands continues to be masterful on letters and the cover from Nguyen is excellent.