Falling In Love on the Path to Hell #4 // Review
McGrath tells her that he’s got a way out of their predicament on the island. He can’t explain why, but he knows a way off the island. She kisses him. Not for the fact that he’s told her what he’s told her. It’s a whole different reason which may have a lot to do with things that neither of them have truly been able to explore in Falling In Love on the Path to Hell #4. Writer Gerry Duggan and artist Garry Brown continue their journey with color artist Chris O’Halloran on their way through various elements of the adventure.
Evidently the samurai speaks English. Evidently it’s the case that she just didn’t have anything specific to say to him prior to the present moment. It’s okay: she only speaks a little bit of his language. He;s happy to know that he’s not entirely alone on the island and he’ll be able to understand her if she feels it’s absolutely necessary, but there’s a ,ot more going on that simply must be dealt with moving forward. There’s danger on the island that they’re both going to have to deal with. They’ve made a bit stronger a connection now. That’s progress.
The pacing on this series has been SO weird. The slow and gradual romance that’s been building between the cowboy and the samurai has been a lot of fun to watch as it slowing moves its way forward, but there’s some thing strange about the fact that it has played out as slowly as it has and there have only been four issues in the series so far. Duggan has been doing a remarkable job of maintaining the rhythm of things with a strong sense of patience and a clever eye for very naturalistic connection that is growing between two characters that have been steadily working their way through so many potential dangers.
The richly atmospheric art continues to give the island a very distinct feel to it, but it lacks the overall feel of the visuals. The drama between the samurai and the cowboy in hits fourth issue feels like it might be lost in some of the heavy inking of Brown’s work, but the overall feeling of the slow and gradual progression of things between them seems to make a great amount of success. Brown’s might lack some level of nuanc, but there is a great deal of intensity on the page in the larger atmosphere of the overall series.
The action between the leads continues to hold enough gravity to keep the action moving quite well. The art has been integrated quite well with the writing. Though some of the personality may be missing from a traditional romance, it’s going to be interesting to see where things develop from here as the series continues towards its inevitable end that will be arriving in the months to come. The action may feel a bit uninvolved if the pacing doesn’t begin to pick-up now that the two central characters have finally introduced themselves to each other.
