When we last met our debaucherous, demented, dentist, Tim, he was careening down a slippery slope to irredeemability. Now, in DEVIL’S LUCK #4: A HAILSTONE STORY, it appears he’s reached the bottom. After flipping the script on his overbearing criminal accomplices, Tim’s taken full control of the caper and it appears there may be less cronies to split the spoils of their loathsome labor between. Next, information from a new player in the game tips off Jasper, the local police chief, of the disappearance of her “boss”, the wealthy Leopold Auberon whose last known whereabouts put him in Tim’s dental chair. With the walls beginning to close in on him, will Tim sink even lower in his quest for riches and freedom? 

As I mentioned in my previous review of DEVIL’S LUCK #3, I’m definitely a fan of this mini series. As with the previous issues, we see the continued progression of our main character Tim as he transforms from a mild mannered, small town dentist into a contemptible murderer. I’m actually shocked at how little it took for him to make this transition. My theory is that it has something to do with Auberon’s amulet even though there was no mention of the amulet in this issue. I’m wondering how big of a role it will play in the next issue, the finale of the series, and also if Asteroth, the mysterious stranger who originally gifted Leopold Auberon with the amulet, will make a return to the story in issue #5. 

Just as in the previous three issues, Eduardo Ferigato’s art is on point and builds the atmosphere. The “character acting” is great and I particularly love just how desperate and unhinged Tim’s facial expressions have become as he sinks deeper and deeper into depravity. The more violent action sequences still have the same visceral energy of the previous issues as well.

Rafael Scavone is my type of writer. More and more comic writers are stepping away from the decompressed style of storytelling that seemed so pervasive over the past couple of decades in favor of a more classic style that moves along at a good pace. Between the scheming, the murder, the snooping and the sleuthing going on in this comic, each issue packs a good amount of story into a limited number of pages. That’s how good comics are supposed to be, in my opinion. Too much meandering just feels… wrong for this medium and fortunately, this comic does not meander. 

There are still a couple of dialog quirks here and there that feel slightly wonky but, as I also mentioned in my previous review, it just feels like the result of Rafael Scavone being from Brazil. It’s honestly just a nitpick. Being a writer, those tiny little things would stick out a bit to me. But again, it’s really just a small thing and doesn’t take any of the enjoyment away from the story. 

So, to wrap things up, Tim’s a real creep, life is cheap, and there is definitely no honor among thieves. Oh, and also, I can apparently hear accents when I read. I’m looking forward to seeing if this creative team can stick the landing in the next/final issue of DEVIL’S LUCK: A HAILSTONE STORY which is available now, digitally through Comixology Originals.