COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Imagine Agents #4
This is it! Here’s the last issue to the four-issue mini-series I’ve been fussing about in my past reviews. When I picked up #1, I thought ’twas a good read for something that deals with imaginary fluffy buddies. Then I read #2 and it got me surprised things could even get better while the third one brought us to a climax that told me the series would most likely end in some battle of great proportions. Yep. And I was right.
Check out our review of IMAGINE AGENTS #1, IMAGINE AGENTS #2 & IMAGINE AGENTS #3
Boom! Studios has proven to be on fire with Imagine Agents #4, closing the mini-series with a bang, while still being full of funny and dramatic moments that brings out the smiles and touches the readers’ heartstrings. And when I say being on fire, I’m talking ’bout Brian Joines and Bachan going the extra mile that could easily outdo what they’ve done in the past three issues.
After the events of #3, Dapple’s now the size of a Kaiju, or probably less, perhaps the size of a megazord, causing destruction and causing the I.M.A.G.I.N.E. agents to pee their pants. Elliot’s in a pinch and Furdlegurr along with all the other figments sucked by Dapple are stuck, too. And so, Agent Snowgoose, with the help of Rebecca, sets aside protocols to save Elliot while Agent Slatern and Blounder come up with their own plan to stop the vengeful figment’s rampage. As you could see in the cover, we’d get some fisticuffs between a giant lupine figment and a towering blob of pink but readers would have to see how it’ll go, where the kumbaya comes in and what’ll happen to the world of imaginary beings and agents after this ruckus.
For a mini-series, I first thought that there could be a lot of holes left since the book tackles a rich world of figments and even supposed mythical creatures and secret agents. However, Joines was able to cover that with bits and pieces scattered nicely in each and every release. And the same case follows here even if it’s the last one. We get to see Snowgoose go all Will Smith here and there’s the part where I.M.A.G.I.N.E.’s Agent K-ish Slatern gets the spotlight with a flashback that tells what his deal is against figments. Yes, there’s tons of dialogue but none of that messes up the pace. There’s still that sense of rush and urgency after the tension that was all piled up got blown into bigger proportions. Joines was able to close lingering questions and even come up with a solution to Dapple that actually makes sense. It sounds a little bit technical but not to the point that’s hard to follow. Plus at least he spares us any of that deus ex machina ending to a story about imaginary friends so no qualms here no matter how science-y it gets.
Bachan on the other hand, I have no idea how much more I could appreciate the art. The giant Dapple looks really menacing and I love the first few pages where his form’s just starting to stabilize with the blue energy glow and all. Bachan’s able to put a lot of crazy looking beings in one page yet none of it turns you away from the story that’s rolling. They look weird alright but you get that they seem like they’re stuck in limbo and there’s an emergency going on. I also sense that more focus has been put on the human characters this time, such as Slatern’s facial expressions and Snowgoose’s antics. But all of it still works, we get to see the emotions and the human side in the story that’s been full of cartoon-y beings.
Dapple’s overflowing with badassery, though.
The thing with Imagine Agents is, it might be the last issue but it feels like it’s just one story arc that has ended. The story’s good and wrapped up but you can’t help but imagine all the other possibilities that could stem out from this story. The world that they’ve created could be extended, or Dapple could come back, or perhaps something else. It’s one of those comics that has a clean finish but I wouldn’t mind if Joines and Bachan would bring us more adventures. With a solid story and an art that could cater to young and mature readers alike, I’d say they’ve done a great job and it would be awesome to see more.
