Raven #4 Review

Writer: Marv Wolfman / Artists: Alisson Borges, Diogenes Neves / DC Comics Where we left off in Raven #3, this underrated gem of a series had the potential to turn away from the major plot – the psychic orb engrossing the city and torturing the souls of everyone it pulled in – in favor of focusing on cheap superhero profiteers who want to extort the local government for money for them to save the city. However, instead of falling deeply into an unnecessary side story, it’s clear Raven writer Marv Wolfman knows exactly where to spend his time. In a miniseries with only 6 issues and 2 left to spare, the main conflict is more than enough; the side conflict though proves to be an efficient means of developing Raven’s character and highlighting her inner struggle between the good and evil born inside her.

And honestly, I didn’t expect the series to feign a plot-focused turn only to leverage that side plot towards character development. We’ve seen Raven discuss her evil father in issue #1, and sporadically enough since then for newer fans to understand how powerful a force he is in Raven’s life, but in Raven #4 we see her direct struggle, her doubt, and her inclination towards turning evil, even if only momentarily. In an issue that moves the plot forward the least of the series thus far, that bit of character development keeps this issue from filler status and maintains the emotional pace of the book, making Raven #4 somewhat different from previous issues but similar where it mo…