The Writer, as its title suggests, is a story about stories. It’s about the power of stories, the joys and challenges that shape them, and how they come to life. In this comic, demons and other mythical creatures invade the pages and literally come to life. It makes sense to discuss the power of endings in the final issue, but the way The Writer #4 ends is truly unexpected.
It begins with a massive battle royale between Stan Siegel’s family, a horde of demons, and King Solomon. (If that’s not enough to get you to check out the back issues, I seriously doubt my abilities as a manga critic.) But then things start to warp and change, and the story… change in a unique direction. direction. To say more would spoil the surprise, but it has inspired the kind of metafiction we sometimes see these days, such as in DC’s completed Outsiders series.
This is the kind of bold swing that only works if you have the right creators behind it, and Josh Gad and the Berkowitz brothers are up to the job. The way they’ve structured The Writer #4 is a commentary on what stories mean to us and why certain elements keep coming back. Stan says it best when he talks about the power of the golem. “This is a symbol of resilience, a symbol of fighting back against a world that tries to crush us,” he says at a key moment. It’s real food for thought and shows how much effort went into crafting this story.
The same level of care is given to Ariel Olivetti’s artwork. The first half of the book is an explosive battle between demons and heroes, with more than a few faces appearing from previous issues. The second half becomes full-blown metafiction, with crossed-out titles, characters literally hanging on to speech bubbles for their lives, and a sequence that shows the word “stan” getting louder and louder, as if jumping off the page. It features a panel of And destroy the reader. Olivetti’s artwork also becomes less and less sophisticated, showing the creative process of making comics in reverse. The same goes for Frank Cvetkovich’s letter.
The Writer #4 reminds us how powerful stories really are. They can provide inspiration in the darkest of times. They serve as a reminder of humanity’s victories and the struggles we face to this day. They are a way for us to preserve our family, friends, and culture. The creative team has created something truly special with this comic.
And if the last page is any indication, they may have more in the works…
‘The Writer’ #4 shows the power of making your story your own
Lighter #4
The Writer #4 is a reminder of how powerful stories can really be, thanks to a creative team that is at their best.
Gadd and the Berkowitz brothers bring the story to a stunning conclusion.
Ariel Olivetti’s artwork shows the creative process in reverse.
A story about the power of storytelling.
One of this year’s must-read comics.
