Review: Fence #4

It seems like an amazing gamble by Boom Studios is paying off. At a time when almost nobody is publishing sports comics, they put out one focusing on fencing. Yet, fencing, a sport that most people only see every four years at the Olympics, is the perfect frame for this story about roommates and rivals trying to make a team at a school struggling to rebuild its program.

In this issue, C.S. Pascat (Captive Prince) is beginning to pay off all of the character development she built up in the first three issues. All of the characters are under enormous pressure as the team tryouts start. All of the characters are competing for the three spots on the team.

Seiji wins his round easily but he fears that Nicholas has been able to see his weaknesses in the past. He can“t be sure if Nicholas has what it takes or if it was a fluke. And Seiji desperately wants it to be a fluke.

For his part, Nicholas finds himself on the verge of crumbling under the weight of everything resting on his shoulders. He has a natural eye for spotting the attack and weaknesses of his opponents, but rather than trusting himself he is trying to remember everything his coach has told him about his weak techniques and bad habits.

On top of that, if he doesn“t make the team, Nicholas will lose his scholarship and his chance at redemption.

Johanna the Mad“s art style lies somewhere between cartoon and manga which serves the story very well. The clean style eliminates all the distracting details so you can focus on what is important. She has incredibly expressive characters, even when they are trying to hide their emotions.

Nobody would expect the reader who pick up this book to understand or even be interested in the sport of fencing. But that is what is so impressive about the book. It takes a sport that most people don“t follow, and invest its characters with so much drive and life that it makes you care.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: C.S. Pacat
Artist: Johanna the Mad
Colors: Joana Lafuente
Letters: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Boom! Studios

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Andy Hall

Sent from the future by our Robot Ape overlords to preserve the timeline. Reading and writing about comics until the revolution comes. All hail the Orangutan Android Solar King!