“Experiments and Extinction”
Creative Staff:
Story: Steve Orlando
Art: Patrick Piazzalunga
Colors: Carlos Lopez
Letterer: Thomas Mauer
What They Say:
The team will have to do what the real Patron couldn’t: Live through a fight with extinction-bringer Woe. Unstoppable force. Immovable object. Round two!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Steve Orlando has had a lot of fun with Project Patron so far and that intensifies here into the fourth installment. The book is moving through a familiar path overall now that Woe is back and while not a surprise, it’s still thoroughly engaging. Patrick Piazzalunga has been able to breathe a lot of good emotion and intensity into a lot of this as well when it comes to the crew that runs the Patron as they deal with first having someone new there and then the loss of Kone. The fallout from that here definitely works well to showcase more of what’s going on while also delivering some strong impact sequences with a fight that we get in this issue.
The main thrust here is that on top of everything having gone wrong since Kone died, it’s just getting worse and worse. The arrival of Woe in the atmosphere means things are going to be even more problematic because the original Patron didn’t survive that. Deir is intent on taking on this fight as he’s the most qualified for it and there isn’t even a chance for discussion with it as he heads out in order to tackle the beast before it can do more real damage. But even that isn’t going to be enough, though not for lack of trying and moxie, and over the course of the fight we see just how bad it gets for Deir before he’s finally pulled out of the process and helped to recover from it. You feel for Deir completely but at the same time it was going to take more than brute force.
And it is what becomes the main argument going on – after Mammon makes his appearance and makes it clear that they need him as he’s been covering for them and their secret all this time. Moro is the one that has things right in the end, however, in that the reality is that it’s going to take all of them to fight Woe and win. But the others have been invested in this for so long that they can’t go with Moro’s thinking in that they need to all plug in at the same time. Especially since all the documentation says not to do that. But this is the rallying cry of the therapist in a way as he’s able to bring in the view of someone new, someone outside of this system, that has also experienced some of what they’ve been through and can bridge them to the other side. Which is likely to work, but for how long and how well?
In Summary:
Project Patron continues to be a pretty fun book that’s playing with some familiar ideas in a new way. Orlando’s script is a good bit of fun even as it keeps everything deadly serious. The reactions to everyone in going completely against protocol is definitely a delightful moment but I also really liked seeing Deir just step in and do his thing against Woe. Mammon could have used a bit more clarity in prior issues so that it feels like it makes more sense here but I’m curious to see where his role lands him as well. It’s an engaging series with great artwork that’s a lot of fun and unlike other books on the market today.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: July 21st, 2021
MSRP: $3.99
