Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Jorge Santiago Jr.
Colorist: Jasen Smith
Letterer: Colin Bell
Cover: Jorge Santiago, Jr.
Alternate Covers: Maan House, Joe Mulvey
Publisher: Action Lab: Danger Zone

A city burns, an election stolen, and a little girl sleeps uneasily in the backseat. Spencer & Locke 2 #4 doesn’t flinch but makes you wish it had. A tale of brutal revenge, a self-fulfilling prophecy laid bare, and you’re left wondering: where do we go from here? For Locke’s sake, I almost don’t want to know.

Spencer & Locke 2 #4 has some memorable lines that are beautifully delivered, but there’s some exposition that tripped me up here and there as they tried to tie up loose ends. Roach said it best: it’s a little on the nose. But with a girl named Hero playing a hero, I guess they might as well lean into the skid and enjoy the ride. Meanwhile, Melinda finally unravels the mystery surrounding Roach Riley. Even at gunpoint, she keeps digging for the truth, and eventually, she comes face to face with the one thing she didn’t want to see.

The action has a solid pace. You feel yourself careening around every page and loving every minute. This whole issue is runaway train that can’t be stopped… maybe even when it needs to. There’s not enough room given to our titular duo as they’re always reacting to the chaos around them. In the end, it’s a rush to process what’s happening. It’s hard to fit the closure of Locke and Spencer’s storyline on just one page, though I think David Pepose can rest assured they ‘stuck the landing’ as he put it.

Santiago lit it up in the final issue of Spencer and Locke 2. More than once, I found myself thinking I didn’t need the text in some panels because the character’s body language was so on point. The layout out must have been a challenge for this one. There was a lot to get through, but they utilize every inch of real estate — leaving just enough room to break us emotionally.