Josh Wilding Reviews: SUPERCROOKS #4
After giving a 5* rating to the previous three instalments of Mark Millar, Nacho Vigalondo and Leinil Yu's Supercrooks, does issue #4 deliver a satisfying conclusion which matches up to what has come before? Hell yes it does. Read on for my spoiler-free verdict!
I awarded issues #1, #2 and #3 of Supercrooks 5*'s each. They thoroughly deserved such high praise. If it was possible to give the fourth and final issue (in this volume anyway) more than that, I most definitely would. The fact is, it somehow blows each of the previous instalments completely out of the water. THIS is how a comic book should be. Exciting, clever, funny, and entertaining from start to finish, writer Mark Millar has outdone himself with Supercrooks; it's a spectacular piece of work and probably now my favourite series from the writer, overtaking Kick-Ass, Marvel Knights Spider-Man and Nemesis to name just a few. In this issue, we finally get to see the heist go down as Johnny Bolt and the rest of his supervillain team attempt to pull off a plan so intricate and clever, it makes Oceans 11 look like child's play.
Without giving too much away, the way that the whole thing comes together is nothing short of genius. Each character gets a significant role to play here, and one sequence in particular (hint: it takes place over thirteen minutes) is stomach churningly brilliant! As The Bastard's bodyguard, The Praetorian, beats down on the team, it's particularly satisfying to see The Gladiator - who sold me on just how great a character he is within the first few pages of issue #1; any chances of a spin-off guys? - stand back and enjoy the show before delivering a pretty damn good beat down of his own. The whole thing just wraps up perfectly, with an incredible twist and a satisfying conclusion for each of the "Supercrooks". As per usual, Millar's dialogue is spot-on, and there's plenty of shocking and hilarious moments in equal measure.
Just as he delivered the goods with Superior, artist Leinil Yu really elevates Supercrooks to a level that it's hard to imagine most other artists being able to. The issue features a lot of action sequences and his pencils really make them feel as brutal and real as I'm sure Millar hoped they would be as he wrote them. There's really not a weak spot to be found in this book. Yu's work with faces is also impeccable, and once again the bloodier moments really pop off the page thanks to his frequent collaborators inker Gerry Alanguilan and colourist Sunny Cho. With Nacho Vigalondo (credited here once again as co-plotter) set to helm a big screen adaptation of Supercrooks, this and the rest of the series is an essential read for anyone wondering just how much potential that project has or if you simply want to strap yourself in for an incredible time.
One of both Mark Millar and Leinil Yu's best pieces of work, Supercrooks will undoubtedly make for a superb film and is by itself just an incredible comic book. A must-read.
DISCLAIMER: This article was submitted by a volunteer contributor who has agreed to our
code of conduct. ComicBookMovie.com is protected from liability under "safe harbor" provisions and will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. For expeditious removal, contact us
HERE.
Think this article is front page worthy? Click on the "thumbs up" to the left! Popular articles will appear on the homepage automatically!