The Mermaid helps a human without knowing who or what he was. When he continues to do things to help her in turn, she is first puzzled, then suspicious. But can he help her find what she is looking for? Find out in The Last Mermaid #4 from Image Comics!

THE LAST MERMAID #4

Writer: Derek Kirk Kim
Artist: Derek Kirk Kim
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 5, 2024

Previously in The Last Mermaid: After Lottie is swallowed by a huge underwater creature, the Mermaid comes to her rescue. Then they must race for the HAVC as the beast smashes rocks around them, cutting off access to the entrance to the cave. Lottie finds another exit and they race out, reaching the arid surface. But the water beast crashes into the canyon after them, damages the HAVC and coils its tentacles around it. At the top of a nearby cliff, a cloaked humanoid watches and then attacks. This distracts the beast from the Mermaid, but it turns on the human instead and the Mermaid is faced with the difficulty question of whether to help out or not.

THE HELPFUL STRANGER

A fight is not part of her mission, but in The Last Mermaid #4, she decides to help the stranger as best she can. The human realizes this and asks her to throw him over the monster’s head. She does. He lands on its head, plunges the staff in, and sets off an enormous explosion. The creature is blown up. The HAVC is covered by a rain of small bits of monster. The human clears off the dome enough to ask if the Mermaid is okay.

He also sticks around and helps repair the HAVC’s arm. The Mermaid thanks him politely, but also asks who he is and, more importantly to her, why he is helping. He tells her cryptically that a wise person once said, “Always look for the helpers.” The Mermaid is not impressed. All she has ever found on her explorations are cannibal mutants, not known for being particularly helpful.

As soon as he is done with the repairs, he tells her to be careful and walks away. She calls out to him to ask one more question. Has he ever seen a giant silver trident impaling the sun? Someone once told her that this would help her find her way home. But she has been roaming for years with no sight of it. It seems hopelessly far-fetched.

But the young man has seen something like this, at least from a distance. It is north, and beyond the mountains. He turns and starts walking away again. The Mermaid calls out to him, but he tells her that if she wants to find it, she must follow him. She has been on her own for so long that she is not sure if she should trust him. But Lottie indicates that they should.

She changes the HAVC to a land vehicle and the human sits on top as they travel through the desert. At sunset, he thinks it is beautiful, but all she can see is death surrounding her. What does he see differently? He sees freedom.

After more travel, they stop for the night and the human cooks food for them. When he shakes some salt on it, she makes some comment on his not being obvious if he is trying to poison her. He tells her it is just salt. She demands again to know why he is helping her. He replies that it is what makes them human. She asks if she is human, and he asks if she has a soul.

She opens up to him a little. In her experience, showing charity is a weakness. It is something that makes one a target. He points out that neither of them could have handled the water beast on their own, but by working together, they were stronger.

FORGING AN ALLIANCE

It is interesting how adding another character changes the flavor of the art in The Last Mermaid #4. Unlike most interactions between people, though, the Mermaid’s HAVC adds an element of distance between them. They are automatically several feet apart, but they can also see each other clearly. The human, whom we later learn is named Torque, continues to be quietly helpful. All the while, the Mermaid’s expression remains guarded, even puzzled. She has helped this human as well, but does not quite seem to know why, other than perhaps a sense of debt.

I liked getting to see more of the surface of the world again. Once beyond the canyon, the landscape is a barren mix of angular rock formations and huge sand dunes. As they travel further, we start to see the shattered remains of prior civilization. Rusting metal hulks could be buildings or could be ships that have long since crashed, leaving behind nothing but scraps where a few scavenging creatures lurk. If this is a world of humans, where did Torque come from and where are his people now?

BOTTOM LINE: A GOAL TO AIM FOR

The Last Mermaid #4 brings together two people of vastly different cultures. While they are exploring the same world, their experiences and their pasts have a bearing on their current motivations.

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