Kiss Me, Satan! #4

By Victor Gischler, Juan Ferreyra & Eduardo Ferreyra

Kiss Me, Satan! has been a terrific mini-series. It was on the original list of choices in the All-Comic staff votes for Best Mini-Series of 2013, and lead artist Juan Ferreyra was included in our choices for Best Artist of 2013. KMS takes a familiar concept, the supernatural monster hunter, and twists it around in a number of ways that make it fresh and exciting.

Victor Gischler has written a very intriguing tale over the course of KMS. The penultimate issue #4 features the showdown between Barnabus and Malcolm, while the pack of witches he has been charged with protecting is further thinned out. While this conflict was quite brief, it led into some more interesting background information revealed about Barnabus Black; last month we discovered that he is not actually human – read the issue yourself to find out what this badass really is! In the latest installment, the protagonist’s narration provided some more insight into the character which was quite interesting and will hopefully be covered in the final issue next month. It appears that this may certainly be the case given the suggestive ending in KMS #4. While this issue overall felt rather brief and relatively restricted in scope, the developments that were present definitely set things up for the final bout in issue #5. Another key feature of Gischler’s writing in this series is the excellent humor woven throughout the pages. There’s never anything over the top or silly, and the subtle comedy in issue #4 maintained this terrific standard of humor that still feels suitable amidst the pages of a supernatural horror tale.

The artwork in Kiss Me, Satan! was the real highlight in issue #4. Juan Ferreyra has to be one of the most talented artists in the industry today; to be able to so confidently claim that KMS features his best work to date is a testament to the astonishing beauty and power of each image in this book. All of the characters and backgrounds look absolutely pristine with an abundance of excellent detail. The details and creativity of the illustrations are further emphasized by the jaw-dropping colors provided by both Juan and Eduardo Ferreyra. As with the illustrations themselves, the colors in KMS are among the best available and this remains true for issue #4. The deep tones of each scene, particularly those involving magic elements, bring each panel right off of the page and help enhance the realism and attention to detail present throughout.

It was fun to see a more “human” side of Barnabus Black this month and gain a bit more insight into his background. The visuals remain astonishing and some of my personal favorites. Kiss Me, Satan! has some excellent characters set amidst an interesting plot and the latest installment set things up nicely for the big finish. While issue #4 felt a little quick and minimal, KMS has consistently been an enjoyable read from the first book.