Written by: Matt Miner
Art by: Jonathan Brandon Sawyer
Publisher: Black Mask
It’s astonishing to me just how dark Critical Hit is, especially coming off of Matt Miner’s other Black Mask book, Toe Tag Riot. Not to say that that’s a bad thing – Critical Hit needs to be dark in order to tell its story. While it does take itself fairly seriously, it doesn’t get to the point of being pretentious or over written. In fact, this conclusion to the mini series is actually quite exceptional, in terms of its quality.
The conclusion is even more fast paced and harrowing than the rest of the series, and that’s saying something, considering that there has not yet been a single issue that has not been briskly paced. Of course, this is to be expected from a finale, especially one such as this, in which there is a lot of ground that needs to be covered. As with the rest of the series, Critical Hit #4 uses the past and present almost interchangeably, jumping between numerous time periods in order to fully flesh out the characters. Fortunately, this is done quite well, and ends up being an effective story telling method.
In fact, it’s largely thanks to these flashback sequences that the characters are as excellent as they are. Throughout the course of the series, we’ve seen multiple character dynamics develop, and as the series climax, so do the individual character journeys. There are some emotional pay offs for all the characters, though most of this is relegated to Jeanette and Sarah, the series main protagonists. This pay off comes both in the present, but also in the flashback sequences. Both of these characters have been great throughout Critical Hit, and they’re at their absolute best here.
Despite all the praise I’m throwing at it, Critical Hit #4 has one glaring flaw. Despite being a conclusion, and having all the trappings of one, it leaves a few threads hanging. I won’t get too much into them, for fear of spoilers. I’m honestly not sure if there’s a sequel miniseries planned, but for the time being, there are arcs that simply don’t end. Since some of these arcs, especially Daniel’s, have seemed so integral to the series, it’s a bummer that they aren’t wrapped up here. It does leave avenues to explore for future series concerning these characters, however.
And future stories concerning these characters is exactly what I want to see. In just four short issues, Miner completely fleshed out and developed a cast of relatable characters that I would love to spend more time with. Especially if Jonathan Brandon Sawyer and Doug Garbark will be providing the art, as they have really brought Critical Hit to life with their pencils and colors.
