Writer: Zack Kaplan
Artist: Guilherme Balbi
Colorist: Marco Lesko
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Release Date: August 3, 2022
Price: $3.99
Riots abound as the fight between Rosa Genthree and Wol-421313 nears. Metal Society #4 by Zack Kaplan opens two weeks before the big fight and tensions are running higher than ever between robots and humans. And that’s nothing compared to what’s going on within the circles surrounding each champion.
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The Story
Metal Society #4 leans into the greater implications of the upcoming fight. As both factions surrounding the fighters attempt to influence them, the greater populations are being stirred to unrest and violence. While this issue is greater to the ongoing plot and pacing of the story, it also provides the weakest writing so far. Despite the action that’s seen on the wider scale, the characterizations within this issue don’t provide much that’s new or intriguing. The exception to this is the final scene as we see Rosa and Wol in the final hours leading up to the fight.
The Art
The art is the high point of Metal Society #4. Guilherme Balbi and Marco Lesko continue to team up as they deliver top-notch art for this issue. Seamlessly switching between scenes focused on the juxtaposed societies of humanity and robotics, the art continues to be perfectly suited to the world of Metal Society. Balbi’s linework forces readers to empathize with the characters in a way that Kaplan’s writing fails to do in this issue. The character’s faces, including the robot Wol-421313, are incredibly expressive. More than that, Balbi is given the opportunity to flex just how dynamic the art can be as society is pushed passed a breaking point into all out riots. Balbi’s linework is only able to be this moving because of the colors provided by Lesko. He’s consistently taken the art to the next level, and this issue is no exception. The muted warm and cool color palettes as he switches from Rosa to Wol collide as they finally meet face to face, and the pops of color are incredible.
Final Thoughts
The countdown has begun. Metal Society #4 sprints toward the final issue and the big fight. All that’s left to ask is, “Man V Robot, who will reign supreme?”