This is it, the finale to the series that answers the question as to where serial killers go when they’re not killing. The monsters residing at Wilmhurst find their secret haven’s time cut short as law enforcement has come knocking at their door for a bloody showdown. With things not looking good, where does the society go from there? Where Monsters Lie #4 wraps things up but also leaves us wanting more.
Written by Kyle Starks, there’s been an absurdity to Where Monsters Lie that has kept readers on their toes and laughing a lot. First there’s just the concept of a town where serial killers go when they’re not doing their thing. Then there’s a police raid that goes horribly wrong. There’s the killers themselves and the symphony of death throughout the comic.
Where Monsters Lie #4 continues all of that as the showdown wraps up and we’re left with where things go from here. It’s that ending that both works and doesn’t. It’s not a clean ending, leaving a lot still to go, perfect for setting up a second volume which will hopefully come.
But, Where Monsters Lie #4 continues to do what it does best, ridiculous moments that’ll get readers to laugh at the over-the-top moments and situations. There’s nothing subtle about the comic, it does everything to the extreme. That involves the opening which not only has a dastardly trap to escape from but a debate about what a “puzzle” really is.
Part of the laughs comes from Piotr Kowalski‘s art with color by Vladimir Popov and letterer Joshua Reed. Where Monsters Lie #4 does an excellent job of shocking visual moments but not lingering on the gory aspects. And, where there is gore, it’s done in such a way that makes the situation even funnier. It’s the difference between realistic, not realistic but bloody/gory, and not realistic and lingering on the blood shooting out for so long that it becomes funny. That last example is where the visuals land with saws, flamethrowers, and explosions delivering the cacophony of destruction.
Where Monsters Lie #4 is a good ending to this series though not great. The comic works as an ending but leaves a bit too much in a “to be continued,” though it wraps up with “the end.” Hopefully things do continue and this is just the start of something more, there’s a lot of ways it can go from here. But, as an exclamation of an ending, it doesn’t quite nail things. A small change and it would but as is, it’s a little bit of a clunker.
Story: Kyle Starks Art: Piotr Kowalski
Color: Vladimir Popov Letterer: Joshua Reed
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.2 Recommendation: Buy
Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle
