A long and exhausting murder investigation comes to a shocking end with No Man’s Land #4.

This is it, the answers are there, the motives, the murderer revealed. No Man’s Land #4 wraps up the miniseries with a final issue that does deliver and ending but it being satisfying, is a little up in the air.

Written by Szymon Kudrański, No Man’s Land has been an intriguing series, a little X-Files set in the early days of the cold war. An American FBI agent and Soviet KGB agent work together to crack the case of a murder that has occurred on an ice bridge between the two countries.

For four issues, the series ha done a solid job of building tension and creating a mystery that left readers guessing as to what was really going on. And, in the end, the motivation and reasons are explained but they don’t feel satisfying enough.

The issue has mainly an interrogation where motives are guessed and explanations are given. They’re reasons but they also feel like something deeper is missing. The killer has used lots of mythology in the killing, some makes sense but the rest just feels rather extraneous. Overall, the whole thing feels a little extraneous without a clear solid driver of the events. There’s discussion of the natural state of humans being war and peace is unnatural, but it never quite feels like it’s really laid out the clear reason. Readers are left guessing by what’s said, and all of that feels more cryptic than clear.

The issue does deliver a solid ending with a final scene that’s somewhat predictable but has that nice finality to it like Se7en. It all feels a little unsatisfying though like the motions are gone through without resolution and maybe that’s part of the point.

Kudrański also provides the art and No Man’s Land #4 delivers the usual style that fits the somber mood of the overall comic. He keeps the killer in the shadows playing off some thematic themes and concepts as far as motivation. Overall the comic looks nice as expected. The lettering by DC Hopkins is solid giving the killer a very distinct style that creates an almost otherworldly aspect about him.

No Man’s Land #4 isn’t a bad finale but it also doesn’t quite make things clear enough as far as motivation and why certain things were done. It feels like the answer is “they were crazy,” a sort of copout. Though there’s discussion as to the big picture, it still doesn’t feel satisfying… which might be part of the point.

Story: Szymon Kudrański Art: Szymon Kudrański
Translation Assistance/Editor: Atom Morwill Letterer: DC Hopkins
Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

For three months each year, you can walk from the USA to Russia across an ice bridge—a frozen path known as the Ice Curtain. In 1963, when the body of a young woman is discovered on this icy no-man’s land, the already fragile relationship between the superpowers threatens to collapse. With nuclear tensions rising, an FBI agent and a KGB operative must solve the murder—before the ice melts…and war ignites. No Man’s Land #1 delivers a tense opening that’ll hook fans of murder mysteries.

No Man’s Land #1 is exactly what you’d want with a description like above. Szymon Kudrański handles the writing and art and delivers an opening period piece that’s full of tension and leave you guessing as to where it’s going to go. We’re introduced to an FBI agent who has been dedicated to his job and looking to retired but forced into investigating this international incident. He’s an agent that has wrecked his marriage but all in on the position and what it means, one who will not question his orders. It’s a setup that’s rather paint by numbers in some ways but is presented in a manner and seriousness that oozes tension. Set upon the backdrop of the Cold War and recent Cuban Missile Crisis, it’s a murder investigation set in a cold world and loneliness in location and in the agent’s personal life.

Kudrański’s art is haunting and leaves a sadness that’s perfect for the concept. There’s something about the combination that enhances the coldness of it all and compounds the precarious nature of the situation. It’s a morose comic with its visuals. Kudrański’s style gives it all a haunting, dreamlike feel that adds to the nightmare aspect of the murder and collapsing of a marriage.

No Man’s Land #1 is a solid debut. The combination of story and art create an issue that’ll hook fans of the genre but underneath it also delivers a tense political thriller that you should add to your pull list.

Story: Szymon Kudrański Art: Szymon Kudrański
Translation: Atom Morwill Letterer: DC Hopkins
Story: 8.35 Art: 8.35 Overall: 8.35 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle