Comic Book Review: Trail of Shadows #4
Each issue of Trail of Shadows poses a new question of its audience. The major question in the fourth issue is: what do you do when the medical school bills grow too large? Well, if you’re Dr. Kisma Uttersond, the answer is turn to a life of crime. Naturally.
Which means it’s now my turn to ask Daniel José Older if he’s really about to make me feel bad for Dr. Uttersond.
The issue opens up on two Chadra-Fan. One is the aforementioned Uttersond, while the other is an elderly Chadra-Fan named Beesar who is following the good doctor, trying to see what he’s up to. By her own admission, Beesar is probably not the best candidate for the position. She was simply driven to act after the loss of her partner in the Battle of Kur, and is willing to do whatever it takes.
This drive to do the hard but necessary thing is something Beesar and Uttersond share, as we learn the doctor actually has a family of his own: a wife and at least five very cute children. The family are mired in medical school debt and his work with the Nihil is not offsetting costs, hence his desire to sell the Leveler behind Marchion Ro’s back.
Beesar attempts to plant a tracker on him, but when his ship starts to leave before she can, she covertly boards hoping to send a signal out to the Jedi anyway.
The Jedi in question - Emerick Caphtor - waits to hear from Beesar, frustrated by his inability to act. Things aren’t all bad for the Jedi though, since he’s doing all his waiting in Sian Holt’s apartment and if you want to tell me nothing is going on there I simply do not believe you. Emerick and Sian have become such standouts in my mind, rising to prominence in a story t hat liberally features better-known characters and managing to hold their own all the while. They never let you forget that this is their story.
I also loved the addition of Beesar. She is the sweetest little being and must be protected at all costs. We lose ourselves so often in the stories of the heroes, of those born into the fight, and those whom life has hardened. Beesar is none of those. She is someone who just wanted to live, but the galaxy forced her hand. She is the everyman (everybeing?) we don’t get nearly enough of in Star Wars, the kind who is instrumental for the audience and the characters to remember who all of this is even for.
As always Older and artist David Wachter have crafted an absolutely beautiful story. The atmospheres feel tangible and I am continually impressed at how the story always seems to jump off the page and become an almost multi-sensory experience.
As the penultimate issue builds towards the grand finale, the characters grow more and more desperate. No one has anything to lose any longer, and the threads of not only Trail of Shadows but Phase One as a whole are starting to tie up. Lingering questions about where other recurring characters from the series have gone are answered by the final panel and I am utterly convinced that the final issue is going to hurt.
Trail of Shadows #4: Whatever It Takes is available now.
