Clown Fatale #4 is the final issue in the series featuring four female clowns who became hitmen as a result of mistaken identity and the strong desire to be free of the appalling reality of their treatment at the circus. Everything hasn’t worked out well for them as they were once four but now only two remain with Chloe finding herself at the mercy of Sasha, the only surviving member of the Russian crew, while Aya is preoccupied with Billy in his trailer. And Sasha doesn’t just want to kill Chloe, she wants to torture her for breaking her nose, destroying her face, and killing the rest of her crew. It might seem as if the situation with Aya and Billy has less potential for something going horribly wrong since the two of them are alone but with Aya being the most dangerous member of the group and prone to violent outbursts, this can go just as horribly wrong. And if that wasn’t enough, Talbot is beyond pissed that he can’t get anyone in the crew he sent over to kill the girls to answer their phones so he decides to take matters in his own hands. Is this the end of the line for Chloe and Aya or will they be able to come out on top one more time and finally be able to start a new life away from the circus?

As I’ve mentioned in my earlier reviews of this series, enjoying this series has been one of my guilty pleasures of the popcorn fun variety and it has actually had some interesting character developments. For me it was also the potential of the original premise that a group of female clowns who felt they had nothing to lose could end up agreeing to be contract killers due to mistaken identity. And this series has delivered for the most part and with members of the group being knocked off in every issue, all bets were off in this final issue as to what could happen and that did increase the intensity in every page. And things were pretty much set up last issue for there to be a satisfying conclusion and so this issue gets right to it with plenty of great action involving Chloe and Sasha, and for a moment Chloe comes off as a true badass consistent with the over-the-top, b-movie exploitative style of the series. But once again Victor Gischler adds an elegant stroke in not only keeping the original premise as well as the characters the focus of the story but also provides closure by using the turn of events as an allegory of their journey and how their old life in the circus ended. An eclectic crew willing to risk it all. And speaking of eclectic, Aya is one of the most bizarre characters I can recall in a series but in such a consistent way that her actions could be both shocking yet no surprising considering her character. So in a way the actions towards Aya were understandable as well, and this is all in the context of the series, of course. I did feel that one sequence tried to be a little too extreme and as a result felt out of place and that was the resiliency of Sasha. Aside from that, and Talbot’s early decision-making, this was a very satisfying conclusion to the series and well worth the ride.

SUMMARY

Clown Fatale #4 is an exciting conclusion to a thrilling series that combined jaw-dropping action with humor and character development as it created a wonderful tale fully taking advantage of the potential of its premise. Beneath the exploitative B-movie exterior is a story where you actually end up rooting for the protagonists to not only be successful but do it with a bang, literally. Considering all the books and comics I read, I would compare my enjoyment of this series to people getting on rollercoasters even though they’re going to end up in the same exact spot once the ride is over. It’s the intense ups and downs, twists and turns, and the feeling of just letting go and enjoying the ride. This isn’t the most profound story, nor did it pretend to be, but it was definitely entertaining so I recommend Clown Fatale #4 and the entire series because you just might enjoy the ride.

Writer: Victor Gischler

Artist: Maurizio Rosenzweig

Release date: 2/12/14