Death Fight Forever #4 // Review
There’s a big statue of a snake-headed warrior over the reception desk. Kind of makes a big statement. Kind of makes sense for the headquarters of Slyther Corp. A man and a woman walk-in to the lobby. They’re dressed a couple of people in a 1980s heavy metal band. Everyone else is dressed in business professional attire. They’re carrying semiautomatic weapons. Everybody else is looking-on a bit concerned. They’ve got business to attend to in Death Fight Forever #4. Writer Andrew MacLean reaches the penultimate chapter in his series with artist Sam McKenzie. It’s a fun time.
The woman’s name is Mendoza. The guy’s name is Bash. They’re looking for Slyther. They don’t have an appointment or anything, but as mentioned before: they DO have semiautomatic weapons. They’re going up to the 35th floor. The one other guy in the elevator is going to the 37th floor. He’s understandably nervous. The doors open on the 35th floor. They open fire on everyone in the office sweet. It might be a professional office and everything, but it’s not like the people there are completely unarmed or anything. Mendoza and Bash are going to have difficulty.
So it’s kind of like that scene in The Matrix. And it’s kind of its own thing as well. This is witnessed by the fact that, though much of the issue is a single action sequence, there IS a break in it for long enough for things to feel distinct and original before issue’s end as they make it to the end boss of the fourth issue. The end boss in question is not without his charm. It’s kind of a fun sequence of panels that feel a bit better-focussed than any others single issue of the series thus far. It’s good.
The art is bright and cheery even as people die. There IS a respectable amount of stylishness about that, but it lacks the clever nuance that might have otherwise been afforded a deafening action sequence placed in a conservative office suite. There’s real potential in the stark contrast of visuals that lie in placing a traditional action sequence in a formal space like an office or a high-end restaurant or whatever. McKenzie doesn’t quite manage the coolness of cartoony violence in a conservative office space, but it’s not like the art isn’t fun...and McKenzie really nails the appeal of the issue’s end boss...making him one of the more appealing characters in the whole series thus far.
And so the stage is set for the end. The series has been one long march toward the inevitable climax. If it’s meant to be inspired by an old video game, it definitely has the feel of a late 1980s side-scrolling jump and shoot game. Everything just keeps moving as the action moves steadily forward. It’s been strange fun, but it’s going to be nice seeing it all come to an end at the end at the end of the next issue.
