Review: Alex + Ada #4

Finally!!!! A comic book!!! You got no idea how much I've waited to be able to read one? Over three weeks of problems, troubles and priorities have finally passed and I have been able to pick up and read a comic (though, admittedly, I did get it digitally, making the whole "pick up" thing quite a bit easier). How much better does it get though as that comic book gets to be Alex + Ada #4.



Alex + Ada #4
 

And boy is it good. Picking up straight from the previous issue, Alex has entered the forum he found previously and, within its virtual walls, he's encountered people who believe in and could supply answers about what he is thinking about; how to make Ada more sentient. However, as he is given this further information Alex is told the consequences of his search; if Ada is made more sentient then it cannot be undone and he has only 24 hours to decide.

I've got to confess, after four issues (I've previously given my thoughts on issues one and three), I can say with high certainty that this is the best book I pick up, second only to Daredevil (for now). Its premise is a simple but incredibly unique compared to the fights, shootouts and chases of most other books. This issue ranks up the drama a notch by having Alex take action on his thoughts from the previous issue.

Sarah Vaughn and Jonathan Luna continue to make Alex a protaganist you can (and I certainly do) root for. The whole issue watches him wrestling with himself as he tries to do the right thing both for himself and Ada, all the time still coming across as a kind, sensitive and, all round, likeable character. Ada, on the other hand, is so charming and has such a childlike innocence despite her deliberate lack of personality that I think it works in increasing the weight on Alex's shoulders, making his hard decision making resonate off the page.



Is this where Alex finds the
 answers he seeks

As for the page, Jonathan Luna's simple yet elegant art continues to be yet another string to the bow for this book. I love how the art makes everything feel both very futuristic in terms of setting, but also incredibly welcoming in terms of atmosphere. There were a couple of panels that threw me off due to them seemingly being reused with slight differences, but it's a minor issue that's more likely me knit-picking rather than anything substantial.

I've just realised that I have written more than I wanted to, but I've done so for good reason: This book is so terrific that I could talk about it far longer. If there is one downside to this story, it's that the release time is every month instead of every two weeks (I don't wanna wait that longer for issue five). Hopefully, someone at Image can sort that out for me and make that happen. Just saying.