Burning Fields #4
Boom! Studios
Written by: Michael Moreci & Tim Daniel
Art by: Colin Lorimer
One of the best things about the 8-issue miniseries: The Burning Fields is the versatility from writers Michael Moreci and Tim Daniel. In issue #4, things going forward will never be the same as we’re making the transition from a high-octane political-military thriller into a flat-out terrifying horror story. The beauty of this is the seamless ascension into another genre without a false beat. The immersive drama has developed the characters and location so well that this turn of events is genuinely frightening because we’re already deeply invested into the story. The horrors of war and politics manifests itself into the embodiment of all that is evil.
Dana and Aban continue to investigate some mysteriously grisly murders and it leads them underground. Soon, Decker and his men are on their trail. The tunnels hold their own mystery as they navigate the dark and winding passages with walls covered in symbols with ominous meanings. As is that wasn’t bad enough, Decker and his men are armed and in pursuit but the tunnels aren’t that forgiving to them either. An anxiety filled maze that draws the reader in that is designed to rattle your nerves and keep you on the edge of your seat.
Colin Lorimer and Joana Lafuente work great in tandem with laying out this issue that relies so heavily on 
shadows and dark spaces. Their sense of perspective and lighting creates such an eerie voyage into darkness, as they use their flashlight to light the way and danger potentially around every corner. Lorimer uses classic horror movie staples like the extreme close-up where you can read the character’s terror in their eyes. In these closed quarters, Lafuente has to use a limited palette to differentiate the rocks from the ground so panels are washed in dark grays, greens and browns with an occasional muddy red thrown in when following Decker’s crew.
This eight-issue mini, as I‘ve previously said, is already one of the year’s best comics and at the halfway point just changed gears into an even better book. How many books can you say that about? The creative team has readers spellbound with great characters, a story with deep undertones and a mystery that earns every single goosebump. Burning Fields is the supernatural, horror, political thriller you need to jumpstart your existence.
Get it now!