Ivar, Timewalker 4

Time is almost up!

Ivar has been keeping a secret from his partner-in-time, Neela, this whole time, and once she learns the truth their relationship will be history! Literally! Join New York Times best-selling creators Fred Van Lente & Clayton Henry for the epoch shattering conclusion of our first (time)arc!

Writer:

Fred Van Lente

Penciler:

Clayton Henry

Editor:

Tom Brennan

Ivar, Timewalker doubles down on the events of last issue and becomes a character centric issue – as Neela tries to reverse the events of the past and save someone who matters so much to her.

This far into the series and that it's been more interested in getting us invested in our Companion rather than the Doctor, sorry I mean Ivar, is encouraging, He's barely in it at all, whilst the actions of Neela take up our time, as we get to meet versions of herself at different points of her journey throughout the issue.

The actual events themselves are sort of played for lightweight comedy which undercuts the emotional intent at the end, but it's an enjoyable ride as you get to thinking how the different versions she meets (amusingly, all which are drinking at the same bar at the same time) interact with the scenarios that are presented on the page, or rather, which adventures we miss out on.

After saying all that, the artwork was the low point. The series so far has been average at best on that front, but compensated by throwing engaging and exciting visuals that kept us entertained. However, there were some panels where perspective was completely off, with Neela being taller than the car she was stepping out of, different Neela's being different sizes to one another and her being completely out of proportion to nearby objects. I'm not usually someone who cares about that too much as long as the tale is enjoyable, but the quasi realistic art style the comic is going for meant that those errors really stood out.

All in all, it's a mixed issue, with the story beats not quite landing and the artwork being noticeably poor that even I was momentarily pulled out of my enjoyment of it. It's not the worst comic and I do understand that the pressures of producing a comic on a regular basis can be hectic.

But none-the-less, I do hope that the next issue has more care taken on it. Given what happens on the last page, I can only imagine there will be.

Cover image courtesy of Valiant Entertainment

Ivar, Timewalker is available from Valiant.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.