REVIEW: ‘Rogue Sun,’ Issue #4

Rogue Sun #4 is written by Ryan Parrott, illustrated by Abel, colored by Chris O’Halloran, and lettered by Becca Carey. It’s published by Image Comics. Dylan Siegel is struggling to balance his teenage life with his duties as Rogue Sun, especially with the ghost of his estranged father Marcus Bell pressuring him to master his powers. However, Dylan is about to face his deadliest enemy yet in the form of Demonika, a horrific figure who leeches the life force from her victims. It only gets worse, as the mysterious figure who murdered Marcus finally reveals themselves, and the fallout will upend Dylan’s entire life.

So far, Rogue Sun has served as an interesting parallel to Radiant Black. While Radiant features characters in their 30s and is more science-fiction oriented, Rogue delves more into mysticism and features a teenage hero. But, in the same way that Radiant‘s fourth issue completely upended its own premise, Parrott’s script does the same with this issue. It will blow readers’ minds – as well as prompt them to pick up the next issue.

Parrott also starts to have Dylan come face to face with the consequences of his behavior at school, as his ex-girlfriend lays out the exact reasons she broke up with him and his mother catches word of his blackmailing other students to do his homework. Werewolves and witch doctors are one thing, but nothing can prepare a teenage superhero for their parent’s wrath. Parrott’s choice to ground the series in family angst helps this series stand out from the pack.

Abel continues to flesh out the world of Rogue Sun, drawing a genuinely horrifying figure in Demonika. True to her name, Demonika looks…well demonic. Her ears have spiky ridges, horns jut out of her head, and her skin is a pale purple, contrasting with her magenta hair and eyes. To top it all off, she talks about draining the life from others like she’s at a wine tasting, which is a delightfully creepy choice on Parrott’s part.

Demonika also proves to be more than a match for Rogue Sun, with entire pages featuring her slamming the fiery knight into cars and draining his life force. In an interview with Parrott at the back of the book, Abel says that he’s still learning, which means that his artwork will only continue to grow in the years to come. It doesn’t hurt that he has help from a very talented colorist in O’Halloran, who shades the scenery in different hues of purple for Demonika and orangish-yellow for Rogue Sun. Props also go to Carey, who gives each character their own distinct voice – Demonika’s word balloons have the same purplish hue and are just as black and twisted as her soul.

Rogue Sun #4 finally offers an answer to the series’ murder mystery while upending its fiery hero’s life in the process. Now that answers are out in the open, Dylan – and the readers – will probably have questions that the next issue looks to address. One thing’s for sure: this comic looks like it’s about to hit its stride.

Rogue Sun #4 is available wherever comics are sold.