"Tales of Mr. Rhee: Those Who Fight Monsters...#4" Comic Review

For those just tuning in, Mr. Rhee has set up an interview between his buddy, Brad, the Demon DJ, and his girlfriend, Charity, from the P.R.O.M.I.S.E. Group, an organization tasked with the elimination of all supernatural creatures.  You can probably guess that one of these two knows a bit more than the other.  What follows is a touching story about Charity's precognitive father, Alan, and his noble actions when Armageddon began, even though he knew it would lead to his death.

The bulk of this issue consists of this flashback to Alan's life.  Hats off to artist Leonard O'Grady, who shows off a completely different style for the two time periods.  The opening and closing pages are finely detailed with some great character work, while the scenes in the past are a little more cartoony with a purple shade.  It gives these sequences a warm feeling, as Charity remembers her father fondly.  He was a great man that only wanted to do what's right.  Even when he was faced with insurmountable odds, he still stood up for what he believed in and saved lives.  

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There are two impressive double-page spreads in this issue that show some of the precognitive visions that Alan and Charity have leading up to Armageddon.  They come out of nowhere and they're filled with terror.  Fans of Nightmare World will find many references here.  There are so many tentacles.  The first one is from Alan's point of view, showing the horror that is to come when Cthulhu rises.  The second is Charity's view of her father and all the good he'll do on that day.  

Despite the fact that Alan can literally see his death coming, he makes no changes to his course of action.  He knows what he must do.  His actions save countless lives.  It makes you wonder what the use of abilities like these are if you can't even save yourself.

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If you've been along for the ride so far in Those Who Fight Monsters... you'll be a little torn as to what to feel after this issue.  Writer Dirk Manning has a definite talent for character development.  After the last issue, it looked like Charity was on the dark side, but you can see here that her heart is clearly in the right place.  It's easy to sympathize with her now that you know where she's coming from.  It looks like her story even affected Brad, who made a side deal with the evil Dumashine Enterprises in issue #2.  I don't know who to root for at this point.  Maybe Mr. Rhee was better off alone after all.  He didn't have to deal with the drama of other people's lives.  

I can't say for sure what I was expecting out of this issue, but I can say that I was completely blown away by it.  This contains an incredible tale of heroism that makes you question who the good guys really are in this series.  The fact that there is only one chapter left has me both distraught and excited.  How is this all going to come together?  Who will be left standing?