Much like the initial season of the series on which it is based, the Supernatural comic book is struggling to find its groove. For the first two issues, it looked like we were going to go with the "case of the week" style like the early days of the show, but things have shifted and taken much more of a serialized turn. Not only is this a little disappointing (it seems like the one and done story is a lost art in comics), but the book seems to almost be speed-running through ideas. It is barely giving each one time to breathe before moving onto the next one. Issue #4 continues that trend.
When in Doubt, Go to the Library
The library is a great place to go, curl up with a good book, and enjoy some peace and quiet. If you are seemingly terminally ill and go to this particular library, you can extend that quiet forever by dying and trapping your spirit there.
Sam and Dean are still trapped in their apparently possessed Impala, which has taken them for a wild ride. It finally comes to a stop outside the library. This is not just any library; rather, it is the library where the necromancer from the last issue got his books. Is it a coincidence? It is probably not.
Finding that the library is full of ghosts who cannot or will not leave, the boys soon find themselves faced with werewolves, the monster of Frankenstein, and Lovecraftian horrors. There is definitely something not right with this particular library, and it wants Sam. It is a good thing that Sam is not the quiet, studious type that would want to stay in the library, right? Uh-oh.
Writing Notes in the Margins
This was another middling issue in a book that personifies "squandered potential." When it launched, it looked like we were getting one-shot stories in the spirit of season one of the show. Following the end of issue #2, events have fed one into the other, but the connections are not clear. We have an apparently possessed car, a necromancer, and now a haunted library. The connection between the necromancer and the library is clear, but what about the car? That one still does not make sense.
Characterization is still decent in this issue, as long as you are more a fan of Sam than Dean. There has definitely been a lot more focus on the younger Winchester brother so far in this series. This again mirrors the early days of the show. After all, Sam is "special." That does not mean that Dean needs to be relegated to a few one-liners and not much else, though, and that is what we have been getting.
The librarian, as the de facto face of the antagonist of this issue, really did not bring much to the table. She spoke a few mysterious lines, recapped the history of the boys for anyone who does not already know it at this point, and unsuccessfully tries to tempt Sam to join the denizens of the library. She is not a memorably lasting villain.
Dewey Decimal System
The list of names in our creative team seems to have dwindled a bit this issue, making it a little easier to determine exactly who handles what. First off, I have to mention the cover of this issue. It is provided by Clayton Crain, who had some great runs on Ghost Rider and X-Force back in the day, and depicts the Impala on the run from a suitably disgusting Eldritch horror. It is a very striking piece.
On the inside, writing is once again handled by Greg Pak. As I have mentioned before, Pak is a really good comic writer who has given us such classic tales as Planet Hulk, so I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is clearly trying to tell some kind of longer form story here, but I just cannot see the vision yet. His characterization of the brothers is still strong and on point, although as mentioned earlier, he puts too much focus on Sam.
Art this time around is provided by just two names, Gerardo Gambone and Vincenzo Federici. With fewer names, the final product is more consistent, if not a little bit weaker overall. There are a lot of panels where the faces of the characters take on a bit of an ape or Cro-Magnon kind of look, which is a little distracting. In other panels everyone looks fine, so it is not an issue the whole time. I think that makes it a bit more noticeable when it is. The various monsters the Winchesters encounter while in the library all look suitably creepy and horrible, so well done in that regard. All in all, the art continues to be a bit of a mixed bag, just in a few different ways this issue compared to before.
Overdue Returns
Supernatural #4 is decent as part of the apparent continuing story this book is telling, but it does not pass muster as a stand-alone issue. There needs to be more clarity on where the overarching story is going. Additionally, Sam needs to quit hogging all the characterization and give Dean a turn.
Any new series is going to experience some growing pains. The original television series did, so it makes sense that this book is as well. This book is experiencing its own share of them right now. It seems to be struggling between wanting to tell done-in-one stories while still having a larger serialized component. Neither one is being properly served right now, and so the book feels like it is throwing ideas on the page to see what sticks. If the creators want it to be around for the long haul, they need to make some changes soon.
As I have seen before, I am a big fan of the show and specifically requested to be able to review this book. I was really excited for it, and that excitement gets a little more tamped down with each passing issue. I keep holding out hope that things will turn around, a switch will flip to show where everything is going, and then all of the potential of the book will become actual. I continue to hold out hope, but with each passing issue my grip loosens more and more.
Will this book be remembered in the same way as seasons one through five of the show, or will it be regarded more like season seven (the Leviathans were not very good)? Only time will tell.