Canto II: The Hollow Men #4

Synopsis: After a tragic loss to his party, Canto sets off alone to complete his quest to lift the curse from his people’s clocks. He knows he must climb the Yellow Mountain, but first, he must face some familiar foes… who may cause him a giant problem.

Canto’s penultimate issue has arrived and it’s a GIANT issue. Canto has just lost his dear friend, his party has disbanded, and our tin hero has set off on his own. A familiar path our hero has taken before. That’s not the only familiarity in this issue, for shortly into the issue we encounter two familiar voices. THE GREAT GUARDIANS OF DIS! This is a completely refreshing and not-so-surprising encounter. They are by far two of my favorite characters from Canto’s previous journey and the breath of fresh air all the readers need after such an emotionally overpowering couple of issues. 

The circumstances of this encounter will remain a mystery until you read the issue, but if you enjoyed the banter and comedic relief from the previous series then you will not be disappointed. As all good things must, it comes to an end as Canto is once again faced with an adversary who not only wishes to stop Canto physically but resorts to attempts of deterring him mentally and emotionally. This is something Booher and Zucker have done such a fantastic job with, knowingly accepting that Canto’s lack of size might be an obstacle for physical confrontations, they more often focus on a battle of heart and mind and that’s truly where Canto’s real strength lies. Through a matter of circumstance, Canto does not face this foe alone and inevitably Canto pushes forward to the Yellow Mountain. One thing I can assure you is that our tin hero does reach the top. But what awaits him at the top of the Yellow Mountain? Is it a friend or foe? 

Once again the creative team of David Booher and Drew Zucker completely take the reader down a path that we should expect, but somehow they manage to immerse us in the characters they put before us and keep the reader contained in absorbing the journey at the pace of our protagonist. Vittorio Astone’s choice and a blend of colors elevate the delicate and precise artwork of Zucker, together these two give us artwork that makes us feel like the art is popping out of an oil painting in a museum (not in a Vigo the Butch type of way though). All in all the second entry in Canto’s journey is setting up to be filled with emotion as we have come to expect and as excited as I am to see the conclusion of this journey, I am equally saddened to see it come to an end.