Kroma has been enjoying her time in the wilds, but soon she may have to finally return to the city she escaped. Your Major Spoilers review of Kroma #4 from Image Comics awaits!
KROMA #4
Writer: Lorenzo De Felici
Artist: Lorenzo De Felici
Colorist: Lorenzo De Felici
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $7.99
Release Date: April 12th, 2023
Previously in Kroma: After discovering the truth about The King of Colors and learning how to communicate with the lizards residing in the forests, Kroma has developed a peaceful existence even though she’s still haunted by images of her fallen friend.
A LONG TIME COMING
Kroma #4 opens in the city with the young boy Jun being awoken by another nightmare. He then goes to confront The Makavi about what really happened to Zet. In the forest, Kroma is enjoying her life out in the wilds. Her and her lizard companion, who she has named Zet after her only other friend, are out hunting. Kroma is dealing with some ghosts of her past when she encounters the man who has been stalking Kroma since the moment she left the city. Back in the pale city, the same ritual that Kroma had escaped from a year prior is taking place with a new person disguised as a beast. The ceremony is cut short though as Kroma arrives with an army of lizards, ready to lay siege to the city. It doesn’t take long for her to gain the upper hand and is able to move through the city where she is finally able to confront The Makavi and learn the truth.
NEEDED ANOTHER ISSUE
There’s a lot of interesting stuff going on in Kroma #4. The encounter Kroma has in the forest is really well done and manages to bring some depth to a conflict that up to this point had been somewhat one-dimensional. It not only manages to bring a cathartic conclusion to the whole thing, it also in its final moments, paints Kroma’s antagonist in an almost sympathetic light while also solidifying Kroma’s resolve to eventually storm the city, not just for her own good, but for the city’s. Also, the newfound resolve of Jun and his quest for the truth hints at a promising plotline. Unfortunately, these enjoyable moments are then cheapened by a mad dash toward the end of this series, in order to wrap things up in 4 issues. In the last third of this comic, Kroma storms the city, the people learn the truth about the annual ritual they’ve been participating in, Kroma confronts the leader, she learns the whole backstory of her parentage, and finally, she is able to sway the young children of the city from wanting to kill her to taking charge and seizing the day, Even for an oversized comic this is just too much and there isn’t enough space given to let these events play out in a more natural feeling way.
STILL PRETTY TO LOOK AT THOUGH
The art, much like in all the other issues of this series, is the highlight here. The juxtaposition between the black and white and the color works really well here and actually has a story reasoning that isn’t just a stylistic choice. The vibrancy of the color is a bit garish but it works especially well when Kroma utilizes the chalk balls that explode into a cloud of color,
BOTTOM LINE: STILL A GOOD SERIES EVEN WITH THE RUSHED ENDING
Kroma #4 works better as its own issue as opposed to being a conclusion to the whole series. There’s some really good moments throughout that deserved more attention, but the rush to the end meant that a lot of things were left with rushed and unsatisfying conclusions. It remained visually exquisite right to the end though. 3 out of 5 stars.
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Kroma #4
Kroma #4 isn’t the worst way to end a series, but its hurried feel and abundance of storybeats makes it feel rushed and unsatisfying.
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Writing4
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Art8
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Coloring8
