Writers: Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Artists: Guy Davis, Dave Stewart (colors)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Just like Stacey’s Mom, Dark Horse has got it going on! Between the BPRD/Hellboy mini-series, Usagi Yojimbo, and Conan, Dark Horse is releasing the most consistently entertaining comic books on the market today. My only gripe is that they don’t have more titles to choose from! Anyway, enough gushing for now (but soon, very soon!)! The Universal Machine #4 retains the quality storytelling that has typified all of these mini-series, employing the very best of the collaboration between Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, two men who understand these characters perfectly and strive to make them as engaging as possible. Add to this the fantastic art by Guy Davis, with the assistance of Dark Horse’s ace-in-the-hole Dave Stewart, and you have a completely entertaining comic book without any artistic snafus. So, you’re probably asking, “Rob, why the four and a half bullet review instead of five?” Well, I have a fan’s complaint and a writer’s complaint that really should be addressed, but I’ll hold this off until the end of the review. Right now, I want to tell you about all of the great things you’re missing if you don’t read this title every month.
My favorite scene in Issue #4 is Liz Sherman’s flashback, featuring dark memories concerning her deceased family. Talk about some freaky imagery! First of all, the reader is lulled into the sense that this is a straightforward memory, since we see Liz as a child being put to bed by a babysitter. Like any child, she gripes about going to bed too early and claiming she’s old enough to look after herself. As she starts to doze off, she is awakened by Will, her younger brother, who comes into her room along with her dog Bruno. So far, an ideal little family scene, right? Then, Will says, “I know they don’t want me seeing you right now, but…you’ve been all weird lately.” Liz explains that this new house (the family must have moved recently) is weird and creepy, “like…there’s something else here besides us.” Then, Liz flashes back on Will’s first comment and asks, “Wait a minute. Who doesn’t want you seeing me right now?” Just as she finishes the comment, a burned hand reaches out to her, causing her to run screaming from her room. As she’s about to race down the stairs, she encounters a burned-up figure walking up the flight. Will comes up to her and asks her what’s wrong, which causes Liz to ask “Don’t you see them?” As he answers, Will’s face changes to a burnt out husk as well, and he says, “See who? You mean Mom and Dad?” Even creepier than Will is the burnt-up Bruno the dog, who Davis draws like a fiendish hell-hound. From here, Liz wakes up from her dream to reveal her true location, at the BPRD as she is cradled by her "babysitter," who is clothed in a fireproof suit. Liz reveals that this is the first time she accepted that her entire family was dead, and seeing the heartbroken look on the child’s face, you can feel the pain emanating from the panel.
Speaking of pain, there is another heartbreaking scene featuring a Wendigo (where’s Wolverine and the Hulk when you need them?). In the world of BPRD, a Wendigo is a creature of the Canadian wilderness that is a cursed ghost looking for another soul to take its place, so that the original host can rest in peace. The man who inhabits the Wendigo still remembers his life and his family, and he wants to return to this normal existence. When Hellboy tells him that he can’t go back (particularly since he’s going to be locked away by the BPRD), the Wendigo asks to be killed. Then, the saddest part of all is that the man trapped inside this beastly body is starting to forget his family, so Hellboy gives him a family portrait to look at. The scene closes as the beast looks longingly at this photo while behind the bars in the foreground. Wow, talk about a heart-wrenching tale! It almost made me cry (talk amongst yourselves…).
If you haven’t gotten my drift yet, Universal Machine scores high marks in artwork, story, and character development. These are characters I have come to know and love over the years, and I really feel emotionally connected to each member of the BPRD.
Now, the complaints: First, this is an EXTREMELY slow moving mini-series in regards to the main story, which concerns Dr. Corrigan and Devon. Sure, there is a lot of meat here, and it’s a fast-paced read, but after reading the first three issues, I was looking for a little more real-time plot movement in the penultimate issue. Which brings me to my second complaint: How in the world are they going to wrap up Dr. Corrigan’s kidnapping, Roger’s ultimate fate, and the other plot strings in the next issue? I hope that Mignola and Arcudi don’t rush things in the end, as it would really diminish a lot of the atmosphere they have created in the first four issues. They are great writers, and I have all the confidence in the world for their respective abilities, but I just don’t see how they’re going to efficiently wrap things up.
Barring these complaints, this is a wonderful issue that every comic fan should be reading. If you haven’t followed this mini-series or Hellboy/BPRD in a while, not to worry: you can pick up on just about everything in this story without much prior knowledge. Every element of a great comic book are here, and you are missing out if you don’t check out Universal Machine.
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