The most dangerous game of cat and mouse continues as Dillinger now has Serena. Will he lure Sprout to him, and can he kill her? Find out in Klik Klik Boom #4 from Image Comics!
KLIK KLIK BOOM #4
Writer: Doug Wagner
Artist: Doug Dabbs
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 20, 2023
Previously in Klik Klik Boom: Sprout and Serena go to the estate of Judge Diane Allister, only to find her dead and themselves being hunted by Dillinger’s men. Sprout directs Serena around the house with her photos, dispatches the hunters, and gets them both out. She leaves some photos behind. Dillinger’s men find them and bring them to Dillinger. He thanks them and kills them. He decides he needs a bigger team to take care of Sprout. Sprout entices him to her current warehouse, changes her look, and updates her supplies. The game of cat and mouse begins anew, and Serena realizes she, once again, is the bait. The new strike force starts setting off the booby traps. But this time, Serena panics, leaves the spot marked with an “X,” and is caught in an explosion!
SERENA HAS LEARNED HER LESSON
Klik Klik Boom #4 opens as Serena awakens, gasps, and realizes she is in a hospital room. She pushes the call light and gets no response, until Harvard Dillinger walks in. She asks him where Sprout is and learns he does not know the young woman’s name. She also learns that Minerva World Services owns this hospital. Dillinger tells her she has the best doctor, one who can encourage her cooperation as they talk, and keep her healthy. This does not sound good for her.
The doctor falls against a window, unconscious, as a young woman with blue hair and angry eyes stands next to him. Dillinger readies his pistol and warns Serena not to leave the room. He walks out and attempts to raise some of his men by radio. Serena looks up and sees a photo of an “X” taped to the ceiling.
Dillinger starts finding his men down with hypodermics pinning photos to their bodies, pictures of Sprout’s grandfather, of Serena, of Beatrix the bunny. The door of an operating theater is covered with photos. Dillinger walks confidently into the darkened room and shoots all around him. He is confident that he can take her out, especially in a small, enclosed space like this. He is dangerous. He has had so much special training. As he talks, hypodermic needles strike him and bite into his flesh. Whatever they are filled with starts to take effect. Sprout walks up to him and holds up the picture of her grandfather as Dillinger collapses.
Sprout returns to Serena’s room. The woman babbles in relief, telling Sprout she did not move this time. She is even more happy to find that Beatrix is also alive and well. Sprout takes a picture of them. Serena has the wild idea that they could run away somewhere and just disappear. Instead, Sprout shows her a picture of Harrington. Serena tells her it will not be possible. She will be killed. Sprout is adamant. She walks out of the room holding the picture of Serena and Beatrix.
Sprout left her satchel and her camera. Serena knows she is not returning. She sobs into her bed. And then she pulls herself together.
ELOQUENT SILENCES
After the explosion at the end of last issue, it seemed like Serena might be gone, so I like that Klik Klik Boom #4 opens with her regaining consciousness. Serena is our connection to the story; her relief is our relief; her puzzlement is ours. This sets up Dillinger’s arrival brilliantly. It really appears as though he may have the upper hand. His confidence when he talks to Serena is terrifying, but that is only the beginning. When he realizes that Sprout is there, his confidence becomes almost manic. His belief in himself is unshaken. But he does not realize how far ahead Sprout has been planning her moves.
Sprout uses her photos to get under his skin. She lets him see her when she takes out the doctor. She is dressed in a loose sweatshirt, underpants, and knee socks. The wildness of her dress does not give away her shrewdness. Then there are several silent panels as Dillinger moves from one of his men to the next, finding one on the floor, another on a bench, and a third propped up in a wheelchair. The photos pinned to each body are like clues in a treasure hunt. Sprout is open about why she wants to kill him, yet she seems to be playing with him.
BOTTOM LINE: THE THRILL OF THE HUNT
Klik Klik Boom #4 continues to impress with terrific storytelling and suspenseful art. The plot is compelling, and Sprout’s visual communication only makes it all the more intriguing.
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Klik Klik Boom #4
Serena is alive and Dillinger hopes to use her to lure Sprout to him!
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By day, she’s a mild-mannered bureaucrat and Ms. Know-It-All. By night, she’s a dance teacher and RPG player (although admittedly not on the same nights). On the weekends, she may be found judging Magic, playing Guild Wars 2 (badly), or following other creative pursuits. Holy Lack of Copious Free Time, Batman! While she’s always wished she had teleportation as her superpower, she suspects that super-speed would be much more practical because then she’d have time to finish up those steampunk costumes she’s also working on.