Comic Book Review - Eve #4

Rob reviews Eve #4...

After the revelations of the last issue, Eve #4 deals with the fallout. Last time out we found out that Wexler isn't technically working with Eve's best interests at heart. He effortlessly slaughtered a group of child survivors to then have Eve within his sights. As the killer robot teddy bear finally caught up with Eve, he was then seemingly destroyed by a mysterious figure. This person turned out to be an older version of Eve...

Eve #4 picks off straight after this shocking revelation. As the "sisters" get to know each other we learn through the older Eve that they are in fact clones and that the current Eve is the last in the line. The clones sole purpose is to locate a vault that's got the technology inside that's needed to re-seed planet Earth. If Eve fails then the world will die. One small problem is that the Vault is now located at the bottom of the ocean - something the current Eve has been trained for. 

Victor LaValle uses the older Eve to bring plenty more exposition to this already well-crafted world. We also get to see that Wexler acted upon his threat of ending humanity by destroying Osiris and killing Eve's father. Eve also prepares her younger self for her journey to find the vault. It turns out that when the older Eve was awakened, the vault was atop a vast mountain. However due to an earthquake, the mountain is now under the ocean, which explains her younger clones extensive water training - and the helmet Wexler gave her. 

As the two bond and start to act like the children they are, the older Eve let's slip that the virus is activated in adults. As such once the children hit puberty the virus takes over. The older Eve has been attempting to delay the onset and her time has just about run out. As the two sit on the coastline Eve realises that her older self is staying behind. While the younger Eve sails off to the vault, Wexler turns up and decides to stay with the older sibling until she succumbs to the virus. Meanwhile, as Eve heads to the entrance of the vault we learn that her mother is sealed inside. 

Much like Eve and the world, Wexler is also extremely complex. Eve #3 portrayed him as a somewhat Terminator figure who mercilessly slaughtered a group of survivors. Yet, with the older Eve's explanation, his actions are almost given reason. Especially when it comes to how and when the virus claims its victims. The one dangling thread surrounding the robot is why it felt the need to destroy the Osiris Station if it's truly acting in humanities best interests. It's odd to talk about a robot character that's got such depth to its character, but if anything in doing so shows how good of writer LaValle is. 

In terms of the overall issue, this one feels much like an interlude. There isn't any particular threat, and as such the "sisters" get to sit down and "chew the fat". There's a surprising amount of exposition that'll make you go back to the previous issues to try and work out when exactly Eve's father met his demise. 

The only downside to this is that the series is set to end soon and aside from Eve encountering the vault, there's no mention of any real threat - aside from maybe Wexler. 

Rating 8/10 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev