Josie and the Pussycats in Space #4
Archie Comics/ComiXology Originals 2019
Written by Alex de Campi
Illustrated by Devaki Neogi
Coloured by Lee Loughridge
Lettered by Jack Morelli
Josie and the Pussycats are the hottest band in outer space! But with fame and fortune comes turmoil as internal conflicts are threatening to tear the group apart. But that's nothing compared to the alien horrors they're about to encounter as they find themselves adrift in the vastness of space! Even if the Pussycats manage to stick together as a band, will they be able to survive the horrors that await them in the final frontier?
Well I have to say that the way Alex is writing this continues to surprise me at every turn. I fully expected to see Josie with her eyes closed and dreaming the opening. Then of course open her eyes and see that it wasn't a dream at all but very, very real. The way it plays out is great to see, however, as always Alex is not prepared to let us think we know what's really going on. There is something about the constant fear and terror that the characters are feeling that puts them in a kind of danger. That danger being when either the adrenaline wears off or escalates to a point where they can no longer function effectively freezing up. Right there you see me going off-script with scenarios in my mind that is a direct result of how well Alex is crafting this tale.
I love the way that this is being told. Alex takes the girls personalities as we know them and tweaks them adding more dimension and depth to them. Melody being overwhelmed as we see and Josie's fear of space these little things add so much to the characters that you almost don't realise it. The story & plot development that we see through the sequence of events unfolding and how the reader learns information is so exceptionally well done. I touched upon the character development and wow is it so gosh-darn good and it doesn't just apply to the girls seeing the other familiar faces and having their personalities on full display is fantastic. The pacing here is so smooth and strong and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way is stellar. How we see all of this work together to create the books ebb & flow is exciting and full of tension and drama.
I have been praising Devaki's interiors but here I am seeing a little bit of what looks like rushing as some of the faces that we see are just downright amateur. It looks like what we do when we don't know what to do or have to finish quick and hope it's acceptable. Which is a shame but that's really the only negative comment I have to make because I really enjoy the work being done here. The utilisation of the page layouts is sensational and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a solid eye for storytelling. Now I would like to see more backgrounds being utilised to really convey the crowded almost claustrophobic feel of the ship however, those splash pages are to die for! Specially with the bones I mean oh yeah that's killer! I like the colour work we see here as well. It utilises colour blocking extremely well and I like the different hues that we see for the shading, highlights and shadow work.
That Alexandra and Sebastian are the ones to save the crew, well the Pussycats and Alan, is without a doubt one of the best moments of the series so far. We all loved to hate her but to see her reimagined like this is a true masterpiece and Alex I bow in reverence to you for this. This, THIS, is why the digital comics platform continues to be a viable option for comic book lovers worldwide. And with Archie working with ComiXology Originals we get to see something extraordinary happen and it's not over yet! By the way I'm already looking forward to the second arc.
