Phantom Road has been slow playing the mystery of the situation their leads, Dom and Birdie, have found themselves. The mystery has worked to drive the narrative forward but at some point we do have to start unraveling what is truly going on. That does seem we will see with FBI Agent Weaver addition to the story. How will things go next for this mystery? Find out with our advance review of Phantom Road #4.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Gabriel H. Walta
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Steve Wands
SOLICITATION
“Dom and Birdie attempt to deliver their mysterious cargo while discovering how powerful it truly is. Meanwhile Agent Weaver finds herself on the other side of the interrogation desk answering questions she didn’t know that she should be asking herself.” – Image Comics
REVIEW
While we don’t necessarily learn anything about what is going on with the Gray World, Phantom Road #4 puts us down the path of actually discovering the truth. This is a development that was definitely needed because the main mystery could only be stretched out for so long. Even when that mystery continues getting hints at the connections for the situation Dom and Birdie have found themselves in made all the difference.
All of the improvements are thanks to Agent Weaver being firmly established as the third lead of the series. We got a lengthy introduction to Agent Weaver in the previous issue. Now with Phantom Road #4 Lemire and Walta establish why they dedicated that time to her character. Agent Weaver is key to getting more information.
This is a smart call since Dom and Birdie haven’t necessarily been positioned as problem solvers. They are regular people who had no training or skills to fight against their situation. We see that with how things go in Phantom Road #4. Dom and Birdie can do nothing but drive to where they need to deliver the package so they can then go their separate ways. And when one of them tries to do something the result is not fixing things but we do get a glimpse into one of their characters that gets you buy more into their arc.
Which is where Agent Weaver is shown even more necessary. Unsurprisingly the mystery with the Gray World involves some sort mysterious organization. Given that Agent Weaver is a government agent herself the interrogation scenes we get in Phantom Road #4 have more of an intensity. You are left having just as many questions as both Agent Weaver and her attacker from the previous issue have. The final page in particular gets you to want to read the next issue immediately.
Through all of this Gabriel Walta and Jordie Bellaire’s artwork is getting even better. Phantom Road #4 being focused on mostly the real world allows the artwork to maintain a consistency that isn’t always here. The flow between panels compliments the dialogue being spoken. Having more of a focus on Phantom Road #4 taking place in the real world make the trippy scene we do get standout visually even more as unique.
FINAL THOUGHTS
With compelling progression for our leads Phantom Road #4 is the best issue of this series thus far. The mystery of what is going on is made better thanks to the addition of a third lead in Agent Weaver. Her story going on in parallel to Dom and Birdie created a greater investment in the story Jeff Lemire, Gabriel H. Walta, and Jordie Bellaire are telling.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10