Writer: Iolanda Zanfardino
Art: Elisa Romboli
Letterer: Iolanda Zanfardino
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: February 2nd, 2022
Magdalene and Dorian arrive in Madrid in A Thing Called Truth #4, continuing their quest to re-enact every movie scene in Dorian’s brother’s journal. It’s another crazy ride for the duo, as Magdalene’s past starts to catch up to her back in the states.
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The Story
This series has been what I call “inevitably intoxicating”, which means from the opening pages of issue #1, I knew I was going to love it and I was locked in. Within its pages are pure joy and it’s consistently fun to watch these characters shoot across Europe on their quest.
I love the dynamic between Magdalene and Dorian. As different as they are, they’re very similar too, in that neither woman has allowed themselves to live their life to the fullest until now. They approach things in different ways, though, with Magdalene dipping her toes in the water first to test it out, while Dorian dives into the deep end.
In A Thing Called Truth #4, Magdalene starts to be a little more adventurous, as the pair work on re-enacting three movie scenes set in Madrid.
I’m a huge movie buff and I especially love old foreign films. I’ve seen the French New Wave film “Breathless” at least 60 times alone, so half the fun of this series has been guessing which films Magdalene and Dorian are re-creating scenes from at each destination. It really warms the heart of this movie lover, like drinking a perfect cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace on a snowy night, while “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” sparkles on the TV.
In the last issue, Magdalene and Dorian were in Rome, re-creating scenes from “8 ½”, “Roman Holiday”(one of my all-time favorite films), and “Gladiator”. I have to admit with a bit of shame that I didn’t recognize the films they were re-creating in this issue since I’m not well-versed in Spanish films. I believe one fun hilarious scene taking place in a drag club is a re-creation of a scene from Pedro Almodovar’s “Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom”, but I’m just blindly swinging for the fences with that one.
Each re-creation they do is almost like a puzzle, because they have to figure out how to pull it off, and the two view the problem from different angles, playing off each other wonderfully.
The Art
Elisa Romboli’s art on A Thing Called Truth #4 enhances the mood of the book with a playful style. She draws facial expressions wonderfully, and in this issue, we get the gamut of exasperation, anger, bitterness, laughter, and a nearly infinite variety of other expressions.
The transitions between countries are drawn in a cute endearing way, similar to a Skottie Young visual. It’s like the comic book equivalent of a screen wipe in a film.
The background details give a feeling of location and place but aren’t so overwhelming they overshadow the characters. All in all, it’s great work and a perfect fit with the story.
Final Thoughts
A Thing Called Truth #4 is another fun issue in a series that’s been a blast from issue #1. It’s a fun misadventure across Europe that’s as inspiring as it is enjoyable. And I can’t wait to see how that third mission in Madrid plays out.