Review: ‘The Devil That Wears My Face’ #4 Ups The Action
by Tony Thornley
Simple body swapping or possession horror is often enough to give most stories enough to chew on. But when one of the bodies is one of the most powerful men in the world it gets even scarier as we learn in The Devil That Wears My Face #4.
David Pepose, Alex Cormack and Justin Birch escalate the war for the most powerful city in the world.
Father Franco Vieri is facing the demon wearing his face, while the monster continues to sow chaos and gather his power. Now Vieri and his companion Maria have to escape the Vatican to ensure he has any hope of saving Rome from the demonic imposter. However, the duo are about to discover why the demon is called Legion…
This is an issue that warrants multiple readings. On the first reading Pepose has crafted a very fun action horror story. Vieri and Maria are chased through Rome, they fight off demonic minions and get into a sword fight. But on another reading, the horror of the situation gets a stronger hold — we get to see the horrific aftermath of last issue, Legion consolidates power, and the possession of the Vatican guards is just as frightening as it is intense. It’s smart storytelling that uses its setting to up the horror.
Cormack strikes just the right balance in his art. The figures are stylized just enough that the gore isn’t too over the top, but he also has enough realism that the horror lands. The way he drew and colored the possessed guardsmen heightens the menace they bring and the unrelenting despair of the leads. He only uses red for the most frightening of moments, drawing the reader’s attention. In the words, he nails what the art needs to do to up the ante for the story, and that’s what all horror stories need.
The Devil That Wears My Face #4 is available now from Mad Cave Studios.
Overview
I was glad to finally catch this story and I’m excited- and horrified- to find out what’s next.
