Advance Review: ‘Junior Baker The Righteous Faker’ #4 Turns Inward
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
Ryan Quackenbush’s artwork has been a highlight of this limited series, but this issue doesn’t give him as much to work with. It’s a confusing tale to begin with, and it requires great visuals to elevate it. The illustrations in this issue are good, just not great, so the book suffers.
Overall
8/10From the outset, Junior Baker The Righteous Faker has been a big question mark. Some of the issues have been somewhat straightforward – aside from some bizarre interludes. Another has been a quandary. This fourth chapter – the penultimate issue in the limited series – goes in another direction entirely. In doing do, though, it loses a lot of what made the previous installments special.
Ryan Quackenbush’s artwork has been the Junior Baker’s highlight by far. He has proven himself to be a brilliant artist whose mind-bending visuals have helped to make at least some sense of an out-there story. But as Joe Casey’s story becomes much more introspective in this issue, Quackenbush’s visuals are not as dynamic as in previous installments. That’s a shame because it robs the reader of some incredibly special.
The visuals are still good, but when compared to his past outstanding efforts, good seems pale by comparison. In the end, Quackenbush’s is his own worst enemy because he has set the bar so high.
Part of the problem, as it has been throughout the run, has been the nature of Casey’s script. This series is a sequel to 2011’s Butcher Baker The Righteous Maker, though until now the connection between the two has been unclear. Frankly, it’s still pretty unclear, but at least there’s some connection now. How Quackenbush has been able to illustrate the complicated and often convoluted story is perhaps the series’ greatest mystery.
Clickbait journalist Dizzy Baker is nearing the end of his journey of self-discovery as he tracks down the Clergymen, a group of religious terrorists. While the issue doesn’t exactly reveal Baker’s connection to the previous story, the ending gives readers a pretty good, unexpected hint.
While the series may be difficult to wrap your arms around, one thing remains clear: If there’s any justice in the comics world, Quackenbush should emerge from this project with lots of jobs offers.
Junior Baker The Righteous Faker #4 will be available for purchase tomorrow.
