The final battle is here as Faith and Dr. Mirage battle Belu in Faith: Dreamside #4. Belu is attacking and is using the things that Faith and Dr. Mirage fear most against them. For Faith it’s her fear of continuing to be a super hero after all of the bad things that have happened in her life. Dr. Mirage’s fear is having the spirit of her dead husband leave her for good which would cause her to be alone. It’s up to both of them to overcome their fears and work together to stop Belu and rescue Animala from the Dreamside.

Faith: Dreamside #4
Written By: Jody Houser
Art By: MJ Kim
Published By: Valiant Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 1/09/2019

The final battle is here as Faith and Dr. Mirage battle Belu in Faith: Dreamside #4. Belu is attacking and is using the things that Faith and Dr. Mirage fear most against them. For Faith it’s her fear of continuing to be a super hero after all of the bad things that have happened in her life. Dr. Mirage’s fear is having the spirit of her dead husband leave her for good which would cause her to be alone. It’s up to both of them to overcome their fears and work together to stop Belu and rescue Animala from the Dreamside.

Jody Houser delivers a final issue that ups the personal stakes of not only the story but the personal lives of the characters involved. As I was reading, I really got to grasp and hold on to the fear that plagued Faith the most. I asked myself, “What would I do if I was framed for a crime that I didn’t commit yet still had to fulfill my duty to those around me?” This is a question that Houser has posed throughout this series in order to make the reader think and in here it is finally answered. At the end of the day all Faith wants to do is help people and she realizes that it will be a lot of hard work to clear her name but she is determined to do so. This is the Faith that readers know and love and it is nice to see her go back to that.

The art by MJ Kim is once again gorgeous and fits the tone of the story well. The design of the monster Belu is pretty cool but I found myself reminded of the dragon from the Dragon Ball franchise when I saw him. I did however find myself really liking the simple but evil designs of the fear characters that the heroes encounter. They were frightening and that helped drive home that our fears inside of ourselves can be dangerous if not confronted in the right way. All in all, I enjoyed the art by MJ Kim and would love to see more that involves Faith.

As I was reading not only this book but series, I found one negative in particular throughout. That negative being the villain. I had a hard time connecting to him and even caring about him. I wanted to see what Belu’s true motivations were but I just couldn’t find them. It’s a shame because all of the other aspects of this book work except Belu. There is an opportunity to really make him a menacing and formidable foe but I most likely will forget about him until he shows up again. As much as I love the work by Jody Houser, I have to admit that this could have been a better.

I wanted to enjoy this series and this story more but it was tough to because the villain was lacking.

3.75 Flying Faiths out of 5