Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Art: Caitlin Yarsky
Letters: Good Old Neon
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 18th, 2023
In Swan Songs #4, the new issue of the Twilight Zone-style series, a man named Bobby Halburn is released from prison after 2 years. Looking to restart his life, he’ll instead run into some serious life choices because of his brother Kurt, a lifelong criminal who’s looking to make a “big score” by robbing a bank. It’s a story with themes of free will, life consequences and… Mad Libs?
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Swan Songs #4 Review.
The Story
Swan Songs #4, though not having the emotional gut punch of the last two issues, is still a thought-provoking story with a wonderfully ambiguous ending that will have you mulling it over long after you’ve finished reading the issue.
Main character Bobby Halburn is obsessed with Mad Libs books. For anyone who doesn’t know what they are, they’re books with different “stories” in them and the stories contain blanks. One blank will say “a verb”, another will say “an adjective”. You ask another person (who hasn’t seen the story) for a verb, an adjective, etc., then read the story back to the person and hopefully the random combination of words makes it all hilarious. A friend of mine in Middle School loved these things and no lunch period went by without him asking me to give him a verb, an adjective, a number and a noun. I suppose it wasn’t too bad though, because trying to think up new words to give him made me buy a Thesaurus and broaden my vocabulary. The Thesaurus was less painful than just punching him for being annoying then getting <gasp> punished by my parents when I got home!
Anyway, Bobby fills in the Mad Libs blanks himself, which is the opposite of what you’re supposed to do. He’s not filling them out to make them funny though, he’s using them like a journal or diary, adding words to the stories that fit the current situations in his life. The Mad Libs books become a narrator of his existence. The main focus of the story is Bobby’s brother Kurt plotting a bank heist that mimics a film he’s seen. Bobby wants no part of it but can’t escape Kurt’s bullying and pressuring to join in on it. Bobby’s a sad character, he seems to drift through life, barely paying attention to the world as he scribbles words into his Mad Libs books. Even when he gets out of jail after 2 years, does he celebrate? No, he pulls out a new Mad Libs book and starts writing. He seems to be apathetic towards everything.
It’s a great examination of free will vs. fate. How much of our lives do we have control over? Don’t we always have the ability to make better decisions and course correct our lives when necessary? Bobby seems to feel like his life is hopeless, that bad things are inevitable. But what if he decides to turn on Kurt and live his life the way he wants?
It all climaxes with the bank heist which is startlingly brutal and really drives home that Kurt’s got more guns than brains. And Bobby’s right in the middle of it all.
The Art
Caitlin Yarsky’s art on Swan Songs #4 is her usual sublime work. Though this story is more down-to-Earth than most of her past work, she captures Bobby’s feelings of hopelessness and the mundaneness of his world. The characters’ personalities come out in the artwork and her work makes the climactic heist scene extremely tense and horrific. Beautiful work!
Final Thoughts
Swan Songs #4 is another fantastic story by writer W. Maxwell Prince, who makes every story more than just a simple horror story. He makes you THINK and he truly disturbs you, and that makes each issue priceless. It has gore, some truly disturbing scenes and explores complex characters and ideas. Recommended.