Battle Scars #4
Publisher: Marvel
Writers: Chris Yost, Cullen Bunn, & Matt Fraction
Artist: Scot Eaton
Cover: Carlo Pagulayan, Jasn Paz, & Guru eFX
Marcus Johnson is a wanted man right now since there is an open contract on his head, and every crazy assassin is gunning for him. He’s currently under attack from the Serpent Society when Deadpool returns for round two to save Johnson (just in case he’s innocent), and provides him a moment to escape. This gives him time to have a heart to heart with Taskmaster, but a surprise visitor arrives and knocks out the both of them. However, none of this is equivalent to the bomb that is dropped on Marcus on the last page of this issue!
This issue is very action heavy from the very beginning with things only slowing down very briefly at points. It seems as if the writing team just peppered this issue with hints to Marcus’s past for the reveal at the end, though it ties things together and answers several questions that popped up in the first issue and at the beginning of this one. Even with most of the issue containing punches and bullets flying, we still get strong dialog and very good pacing that keeps it fun.
Fans should realize that you can’t go wrong with Scot Eaton and Andrew Hennessy when you want a great looking book. From start to finish they carry much of the weight of the story and do it well. The action is fun to look at, especially when you’ve got a non-super guy like Marcus going up against all the members of the Serpent Society.
So, we’ve got a pretty big reveal in this issue, and so far Battle Scars is shaping up to be a very solid series. Though I feel that the real test will come out of what happens after this issue with Marcus Johnson. Big reveals and mystery help make stories great, but nothing beats solid character building in the long run. Two more issues are left in this mini-series, and I’m hoping they’re just as good as the past four!
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