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image comics 9-2-26 reviews - mask 4
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Image Comics reviews 9/2/26 – MASK 4, Rook Exodus 11

Jeffrey Lyles , , , , , , , ,
Rook Exodus 11

rook exodus 11

It is legit frustrating waiting two, three and sometimes even longer for the next installment of Rook Exodus. Then it takes getting to maybe the second or third page to remember it was all worth it. Jason Fabok’s art is just on an entirely different level with this series. To get this kind of quality with every issue without fill-in artists completely justifies the random breaks of momentum. The art is that good great.

For this issue, writer Geoff Johns continues the arc where Rook, Dire Wolf, Matterhorn and Stag battled Bloodhound before realizing he’s the only one who can restore Exodus’s planet-saving engines. To get to those engines, they’ve got to go deep in the core where lies the spider warden Arachnid.

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Arachnid is a super formidable warden with a massive mechanical spider legs, metal frame and superior firepower to the other wardens. That doesn’t mean they’re not game to the challenge. Fabok does an epic job of making this confrontation look like the final act of a massive action movie. Just on the outside of the mountain, Patch has encountered the wardens’ animal sidekicks, including the warden-less Pumba.

There’s a real sense of danger from Arachnid as the wardens understand the sensitive nature of their symbiotic nature with their animal charges especially when the dominant personality switches.

Colorist Brad Anderson adds to the carnage with a strong blend of colors and lighting effects for gunfire and explosions. Like Fabok, Anderson is delivering some of his career-best work on Rook Exodus and this issue was no exception. Letterer Rob Leigh does equally fantastic work with the helmet radio dialogue and the sound effect fonts.

Rook Exodus remains one of those titles where the end result is always worth the wait even if it takes way longer than readers would like. Another break is slated following the end of this arc, which hopefully will arrive before the end of 2026. Even then, it will likely result in one of the strongest issues that month.

Rating: 10 out of 1o

Photo Credit: Image Comics

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