Take A Look, It’s In A Book — Reviewing ‘Doom Academy’ #4

Life is like a fairy tale, here at Doom Academy. Well, more like a storybook nightmare in all honesty.

Good intentions of the former Strange Academy students lead to much bigger problems in Doom Academy #4. The penultimate chapter in this delightful One World Under Doom tie-in series from MacKenzie Cadenhead, Pasqual Ferry, João M.P. Lemos, Edgar Delgado, and Clayton Cowles.

Even with the more sinister setting and the inherent trouble brewing, this series continues to be charmingly entertaining.

Cadenhead really gets these characters, those we knew from before, and makes the new ones instantly endearing. There is a reason that Marvel and creators keep coming back to the well that is Strange Academy. The original creative team (which Delgado and Cowles were part of) knew what they were doing.

Personally, I would read another ongoing series with all these characters from this creative team in a heartbeat.

A conclusion needs a big action piece. Cadenhead organically delivers that with the issue conclusion, built through the well crafted and well-paced origin story we get for Gerta in this issue. Trying to reveal such things rapidly in such a manner can be touchy with this format, but not in this case.

Once more, I speak to the brilliance of having Ferry and Lemos on board to handle the different realms. It instantly sets them apart, but in a way where the artwork is as complimentary as it is contrasting.

There is a really solid mix of eccentric and grounded that permeates anything Ferry draws. It really fits into the magical, and fantastical, sides of comic books easily, allowing the natural rougher texture style of the work room to breathe and mingle with a smoother aesthetic. This keeps things really detailed and deep even when pulling back to neatly focus on the forefront of a moment.

It works so well with the color palette stylings of Delgado, who has really helped bring life to so many versions of these characters adventures. This world has an inherently darker atmospheric identity brought into play. Those darker tones dominate, but leave room for the really bright vibrant colors that come inherently with a magical and superhero adjacent space.

The storybook world has a sharp feeling as well but an overall softness as well. This plays with the nature of how storybooks, even the nightmarish ones, can feel in their telling. Exaggeration is key in many of the figures, as well as a leanness to the depictions. Whimsy and roughness are still very much at the forefront but in their own distinctive way here. Everything moves with such fluidity and flexibility.

Additionally, it also plays with darker color tones in many respects. Some slightly heavier colors really give the world that little extra bit of weight. This plays well when considering that this space is a fictional reality within the fictional reality we’re already exploring. Keeps them just that much more distinct but also similar.

I’ll never stop gushing about the actual way the borders and format of those pages resemble old style book pages. It just adds to this bigger and authentically magical feeling.

Bringing it all together is the solidly inspired work that Cowles always brings to the page. As usual, he keeps the distinct aspects of some of the characters’ speech (their bubbles, fonts, etc.) while overall giving every piece of lettering that great touch. Concurrently, each bit of emotional and character depth these words need is on display, matching what the artwork delivers emotionally beat for beat.

Doom Academy #4 is now available from Marvel Comics.