REVIEW: ‘The Red Mother,’ Issue #4

The Red Mother #4 is published by BOOM! Studios. It comes from the creative team of writer Jeremy Haun, artist Danny Luckert, and letterer Ed Dukeshire. The issue opens with Daisy in a restaurant. She awaits Leland Black, an entrepreneur who has an offer for her. After she solved the puzzle he sent her, Leland offers Daisy a job working on a project. He gives her time to decide before leaving her with a puzzle box.

After her meeting Daisy finds herself stranded in the rain waiting for a ride. But a strange encounter with a mysterious old woman leaves her shaken. But this encounter was not by chance, and soon Daisy will find herself embroiled in circumstances far outside of her understanding.

With The Red Mother #4 Haun, once again, delivers a tight and paranoia-inducing story. But this issue includes something that I wasn’t aware this series had been missing until today. That is the inclusion of conspiracy. Where before Daisy’s plight seemed isolated and left her alone, now her singular problem appears to be many instead. This narrative shift gives the story an almost Rosemary’s Baby-like quality. As such it becomes difficult to put each issue down, and the wait for the next piece of the puzzle becomes more and more agonizing.

Luckert’s art continues to be an integral part of the story. I have spoken before at the use of the color red in this series. The way situations that seem to put Daisy at her most vulnerable always feature it. In this issue, it feels as though this theme is becoming more and more prevalent as the series progresses. But as Daisy’s paranoia grows, red also appears. As if the color is a bridge between the supernatural Red Mother, and Daisy’s mental deterioration. Whether or not this is intentional is hard to say until the series ends, but for now it seems thoroughly deliberate. Meanwhile, Dukeshire’s letters are solid if a little unremarkable.

Overall, The Red Mother  #4 continues the series streak of excellence. The story continues to provide twists and scares. But most importantly, it does so in interesting ways. Rather than following an obvious path or trajectory the creative team have made a horror story that feels personal and unpredictable. I find myself eagerly awaiting the weeks that I get to read it to see what happens next and experience more of this fun and unique story. If you’ve been waiting on this series, I think now is a great time to scoop it up from the beginning and dig in.

The Red Mother #4 is available wherever comics are sold.