Kyle Higgins, Brian Buccellato, and Geraldo Borges have been able to develop a unique story within the MassiveVerse with No/One. It has continued the grander narrative of the universe. The copycat killer mystery around No/One has been kept this comic book at the top of the reading pile every month. We got an early copy of No/One #4. Check out our thoughts of No/One #4 with our advance review.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers: Kyle Higgins and Brian Buccellato
Artist: Geraldo Borges
Colorist: Mark Englert
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
SOLICITATION
“Julia’s quest for the truth gets personal as Ben gets closer to identifying the copycat killer-and maybe finally answering the question of NO/ONE’s identity.” – Image Comics
REVIEW
Up to this point Ben Kern, former Assistant Chief of Operations for the Pittsburgh Police, has been the lead of No/One. While other characters have had their time to shine during No/One the character with the most investment has been Ben Kern. Now with No/One #4 Pittsburgh Ledger reporter Julia Paige is role is elevated to match that of what Ben has had in the first three issues.
Outside of Ben, Julia has gotten the consistent amount of page time in the first three issues. So it is not surprising that Julia’s narrative in No/One is what finally gets the chance to shine. Her narrative is a more of the forefront of No/One #4 as even when she isn’t on screen her presence is felt. A big part of that is because of how her relationship with her mother, a media personality similar to what you would see on Fox News, impacts the copy killer case. Not only does this push Julia’s character development but it also pushes the political sub-plots in No/One to take the next steps.
While Julia’s character gets more development time, we see Ben’s own narrative develop in the pace you expect it to. While he no longer works for the Pittsburgh PD, Ben’s personality development from being a career detective makes it so he can’t simply retire to Florida. The No/One case is to personal for him that he has to be involved. No longer working for the Pittsburgh PD has allowed Ben a sense of freedom as he no longer has a wall blocking him from making things personal. We see that with his two key interactions with No/One #4 with Ben not as a cop, but rather as father speaks in the way he does.
Along with Ben and Julia the mysterious No/One gets more attention in this issue than previous. No/One #4 has more of a split between the three characters. This all fully establishes No/One, Ben, and Julia as the three equal leads of this story. And after mostly dedicating the series to being a murder mystery it nice that Geraldo Borges gets more time to showcase the fight choreography he is able to execute with his artwork.
FINAL THOUGHTS
No/One #4 is yet another incredible issue in what is one of the standout comic books of 2023. Kyle Higgins, Brian Buccellato, and Geraldo Borges do an excellent job at pacing the issue to give enough time to simultaneously develop No/One, Julia Paige, and Ben Kern’s narrative. The pacing creates a greater level of investment in wanting to find out what happens next in the story.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10