Four Women TPB Review

Four Women TPB

Publisher: IDW
Writer & Artist: Sam Kieth
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterers: Naghmeh Zand and Sergio Garcia

Review by Anelise Farris

Four Women is the story of a group of, yeah you guessed it, four women on their way to a wedding reception. On their way to the reception, the women have car trouble, and due to their remote location, they have no choice but to wait for someone to drive by. Unfortunately for them, however, the first car that arrives on the scene brings danger. The two men, determined to have their way, do whatever it takes to get to the women—including driving over the car, collapsing the roof.  

Four Women is the classic road trip from hell situation that often forms the basis for horror stories. However, Sam Kieth does a nice job of framing the story in an unexpected way. The story is told from the perspective of one of the women, Donna, as she is talking to her lawyer. While we do receive all of the details of what happened, Four Women handles Donna’s recollection of the events (as it should) with the trauma she experienced in mind. Therefore, the timeline is often re-ordered and certain memories leave Donna unable to continue.

Despite these welcome additions to a familiar tale, a lot remains to be desired in Four Women. First, why are they going on a long trip to a wedding reception and not the wedding? This question bugged me from the start, because yes at times I am a pragmatist. Also, I continually wondered what brought these four women together. They couldn’t be more different and other than Donna telling us that Marion is her best friend, I am not sure why they are all travelling together—their ages and personalities range quite drastically. Similarly, although there is all the gritty line-work and heavy shadows that one expects from a darker story, the cartoonish expressions on the characters’ faces took away from the gravity of the situation.

Verdict:
Skip it. Although Four Women adds an interesting dimension to the road trip horror story with Donna’s narration, the unresolved questions and art style prevent it from having any depth.