"Scarenthood #4" Comic Review

The strange supernatural force that has shaken this small town to its core is finally revealed...or is it? As a group of parents appear to vanquish this evil, they soon learn this is just the tip of the iceberg. There's much more going on here than just a creepy ghost at a day care center.

Scarenthood #4 wraps up this mini-series and it's quite a roller coaster ride. Creator Nick Roche jumps right into the action with a bonafied exorcism of epic proportions. The ghost is shown as a dreary being of darkness and pain. It appears as a visage of Flynno's lost brother, which just cuts right to the heart. It quickly transforms into something monstrous, taunting the adults with a hideous grin.

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Letterer Shawn Lee shows this with a change in the creature's speech, shifting from the traditional black balloons and standard white font to a bolder, more menacing style. It conveys an ancient tone.

All of this hits very fast and it's over almost too fast. It quickly becomes clear that this is just the ending of this part of a much larger story. Roche takes a few leaps to connect the dots to the next section before leaving off on a cliffhanger of sorts. This takes quite a bit of explaining and world-building, which kills a good amount of the momentum. Fortunately, the foreboding mood is a near constant, so while one obstacle is dealt with, it's clear these folks aren't out of the woods yet.

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Colorist Chris O'Halloran seamlessly switches from a dark and menacing palette to a brighter, more vibrant one when the demon appears to be defeated. It creates a false sense of security that quickly fades away, replaced by drab shades that drown out any and all hope of salvation.

Scarenthood set a pretty high bar from its first issue. This final chapter sticks the landing of the main story and then reaches a bit too far to connect this to something larger that feels out of its wheelhouse. I am curious as to what the creative team intends to do next with these characters and this world, so I'll be along for the ride. I just question some of the connections based on what's shown here.