Bobby Jo #4 is a comic written by Scott Wilke with art and colors by Michael Mayne. Bobby Jo and Hobbes continue to lead the fight against these beings from another world. This is a science fiction comic with some drama, violence, and plenty of Appalachian charm. The leading lady for this tale is Bobby Jo, she is a very determined and violent woman who won’t hold back when it comes to protecting those she cares about. She has an alien companion/pet named Merle who has the ability to change from a cuddly dog-like creature to a hulking beast. Assisting Bobby on her current escapade is Sheriff Hobbes, he is trying to keep the town of Humming Rock safe but it is proving to be very difficult. The story begins with our main trio speeding away in car while being blasted at by an aggressive flying saucer. They manage to make a quick detour to put in motion a plan to get the townsfolk to safety. This takes place in Appalachian in a small, rural, and seemingly close-knit town. The violence here is explosive, destructive, and shows a bit of blood. The pacing is somewhat faster than average as there is a lot happening with not a lot of talking. The tone is like that of a movie featuring a small town invasion by creatures not from here. There are many intense moments due to danger, violence, and destruction. The dialogue is all conversational and features slang, sayings, and grammar common to the Appalachian/Southern region. There are no word—heavy pages here. This is another exciting issue of this series that provides us with revelations, violence and it increases the stakes as we await what comes next.

            The art is drawn in a detailed, slightly rough style with notable lighting and shading. The color palette is realistic with a nice range and variety on each page. For scenery we’ll thick forests, piles of scrap, and plenty of rocks, as this is a mining town. There isn’t really a primary location here as Bobby Jo and her compatriots re constantly on the move but some of the locations visited are the scrapyard, a school, and some mines. The backgrounds usually show the surroundings which are usually overwhelming light from unearthly sources. The expression level here is high as these characters show exactly how they feel at all times. The emotional range here consists of a lot of fear, terror, anger, determination, and very rare happiness. The faces are very detailed with wrinkles and lines that show the different expressions very well. The violence involves alien laser-based weapons and features some blood. The action scenes are lengthy with good angles and perspectives which help things flow smoothly. Bobby Jo wears Daisy Dukes and a crop top with no bra.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

If you like science fiction stories starring a woman that takes place in rural Appalachia with aliens, violence, and some drama, then this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

PG-13. Violence, destruction.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“Reckon I’ll come up with a plan ‘long the way.”

 

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/williamtener/bobby-jo-1-4-a-sexy-grindhouse-sci-fi-series/description

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

*
*
*
*
*

Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 24

Violent Pages: 8, for 33% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 2, for 6% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 3

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 2

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 1

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 1

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”