Living Hell #4 Review: One Hell Of A Great Comic

Caitlin Yarsky’s Living Hell has spent four issues building up our main character, Jerome, a demon tasked with hunting other demons. And in Living Hell #4, the final issue of the Dark Horse Comics series, it all comes crashing down in spectacular fashion.

In the issue, and spoilers past this point, Jerome’s latest mission is to track down his own daughter and send her to hell. The other option? Refusing, but that will lead to a total catastrophe for the entire city. While Yarsky has been expertly balancing the day-to-day drama of Jerome’s life with the demon-of-the-week hunt issue by issue, this finale takes things up several notches in tension and heartbreak, leading to a jaw-dropping page that brings visual metaphor to life in a way that only comic books can.

I realize I’m being vague here, but Living Hell is a book that is meant to be enjoyed in the moment. And one of those pleasures is going on the emotional rollercoaster Jerome and his daughter, Jo, are riding on in this issue. At its heart, Living Hell is a family drama with demons, not the other way around. That’s what Yarsky dives into here… Beyond the high concept and gorgeously rendered monster designs, this won’t work if you don’t care about these characters. And by the end of issue four — if not earlier in the run — you very much do.

While this is the final issue of the series, there’s also clearly more to tell in this world, and I hope Yarsky does get to go back and revisit the series some day. A great concept, great drama, and great looking comic book pages… What more could you ask for? The book might be Living Hell, but this is comic book heaven.

Living Hell #4 Rating:

Living Hell #4 Official Synopsis:

Everything Jerome has done has been for Jo—and now she’s the next victim on his list. The consequences of refusing an order from Hell can be catastrophic, and Jerome is out of options. In this series finale, the fate of his daughter, his city, and his home balances on a knife-edge.

• Series finale!

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