Black Science #24 brings things full circle for Grant and Pia McKay’s relationship. In the prior issues the two have had a hard time getting along. In order to patch things up, Grant attempted to steal a sacred artifact from a witch living in a dimension where gods are real and walk among us. The sacrifice seems to have the intended result, but as you will see nothing ever truly works out for Grant and company.
Relationships are complicated, and author Rick Remender perfectly illustrates this with the constantly evolving dynamics between father and daughter. In [easyazon_link identifier=”B01J6ETN8U” locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Black Science #25[/easyazon_link] we see this play out perfectly as Grant, who has sacrificed a great deal, gets back into Pia’s good graces, but only to lose part of himself in the process. It is a noble sacrifice that any father worth their salt would do for their children time-and-time again.
Black Science is one of those comics that continues to delight. Remender consistently delivers with this series. Creating a number of characters that are both real, likeable, and at times completely despicable. These characters, despite existing in the world of sci-fi, suffer from the same mortal flaws and motivations that drive us as human beings on a day-to-day basis.
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In this particular issue we not only see Grant and Pia resolve some past issues, but we also see the return of several characters as well. These characters may be completely unexpected , but they open up the comic for some very exciting possibilities.
Artist Matteo Scalera continues to do impressive work. In the previous story arc the artwork and colors have been bright and somewhat cheerful, slowly transitioning to a darker more gothic tone. By the time Grant and Pia encounter the witch the overall feel of the comic is darker. The blacks and grays are heavier, and there is a certain amount of sadness and moral defeat that seems to have psychically imprinted itself on Scalera’s artwork.
Black Science #24 continues to have a darker and less hopeful feel to it. Despite Grant and Pia patching things up, a moment where we should be cheering,ends up leaving you saddened due to Scalera’s unique style of drawing the characters. He does it by focusing on the characters’ body language specifically Grant’s where his his shoulders are noticeably slumped. In fact, Scalera’s focus on the body language of the characters tells the story as much as Remender’s words.
The Verdict
Remender continues to write a great comic in [easyazon_link identifier=”B01J6ETN8U” locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Black Science #24[/easyazon_link]. Thematically, each issue seems to deal with the topic of failure and loss. Even when main character, Grant McKay, has a minor win, it is later punctuated with a disastrous failure, unintended consequences, or an unforeseen event. However, as good a storyteller as Remender is, Scalera should get most the credit for this issue. Scalera does a pitch perfect job setting the mood and tone of the issue with his artwork. His use of body language tells as much or more about the the ramifications of the events that are transpiring, than those of Remender’s words.