Advance Review: A Traitor In Their Midst In `Minor Threats’ #4

Betrayal is a common theme in literature – and is a staple in comic books. From Ozymandias hatching his master plan in Watchmen to Hal Jordan wiping out the Green Lantern Corps as Parallax, good guys turning bad is a familiar plotline.

The real fun is knowing there’s a traitor in the midst and trying to figure out which character is betraying the others. That is the central mystery in Minor Threats #4, the conclusion to the exciting Dark Horse limited series.

In the series, evil Stickman has killed the sidekick of the vigilante the Insomniac, causing the would-be good guy to go on a rampage throughout Twilight City looking for the killer. A group of d-list villains band together, first for survival, then to collect the reward for Stickman’s capture. Little do they realize that Stickman has gotten to one of them first.

Patton Oswalt’s and Jordan Blum’s script may not be the most original story in the history of comics, but the pair have created a world that could easily live beyond the scope of the limited series. Sure Insomniac is a stand-in for Batman and the Continuum is a reskin on the Justice League, but story and characters they have created are rich and layered enough that they ought to be given more chances.

Artist Scott Hepburn adds to the richness of the story, with his visual creations. We can pretty much immediately understand these characters as soon as we see them in costume. In his caped black and grey costume, we know exactly who the Insomniac is before he ever utters a word. Hepburn also brings a measure of horror on top of the action as he depicts some pretty graphic details – from multiple beheadings to several hammer bashings. (A notable departure from the Justice League!)

At the end of the last splash page, the creative team leaves readers with a hopeful “Never The End…” Hopefully they are serious about returning to Twilight City again in the near future.

Minor Threats #4 will be available for purchase on February 1, 2023.