After three issues with the speedster, Velocity reaches her
final destination in this fast-paced final issue. The issue has a few bumps but is well worth a read.With only fifteen minutes left, Velocity must defeat Doctor
Paine and give herself the only antidote that will save her life. Ron Marz has created an entertaining character with more
quips than the Flash – and she might be faster too! Velocity is a great character and her narrative has run
rampant throughout every issue of the series. Sometimes there is too much of her narrative going on, but
it mostly brings Velocity’s witty banter to the reader that is genuinely funny
and makes you love Velocity more and more – when you don’t want her to shut up
for a minute and just save the day already.Doctor Paine is the only other major character in Velocity
#4. He is a great villain for
Velocity, her perfect opposite personality-wise. She is witty, kind-hearted and makes you laugh, while Doctor
Paine is a disturbing shell of a man.
He never seems like much of a threat though. Velocity’s carefree nature throughout the series makes it
hard for the series to seem very suspenseful despite Marz’s inclusion of a
counter to show just how much time Velocity has left. When paying attention to it, the counter can bring a slight
feeling of suspense but the constant quips keep the atmosphere from being very
suspenseful. The story still feels rushed, glimpsing over Velocity saving
her sister, an emotional event that seems neglected. The ending of the last issue is not even explained until
mid-way through this issue with some exposition that makes me feel like I’m
reading a recap – no humor just a quick catch-up that leaves me wishing the
explanation had been revealed in a more comedic way that better suits Velocity. The mini-series felt rushed throughout and
could have used more time to fully develop with an extra issue or two. If this short series was Ron Marz's
homage to Velocity’s fast-paced nature he should have left his witty symbolism
and exchanged it for more time to spend on telling the story. The squashed story still had an
appropriate ending that tied into the first issue and was extremely funny and
left the series off on a high note that makes me hope to see Velocity again
soon. The art is mostly great but has some mediocre moments that
make this issue have the weakest artwork out of every issue in the
mini-series. Velocity’s face looks
oddly cartoony, giving Velocity a slightly chibi look. It was cute but strikingly different from
the rest of the series and this difference is not only highly noticeable but
unwanted after the great works of art given to us by Kenneth Rocafort in the
past issues. When her face does
return to normal the art goes back to being great. The drab background colors make an interesting contrast
against Velocity’s bright costume and a full-paged panel shows just how big the
robot Velocity is fighting really is and the artwork comes off well. Neither of those elements were the best
this issue. But an image of Doctor
Paine was and it still sends shivers down my spine!Velocity has had a good run (no pun
intended) and I hope she comes back soon - I just hope she doesn't bring a
repeat performance and instead amps her game up a bit. Issues #1, #2 and #3 had
their fair share of problems but were not problematic enough to make you not crack
a smile and enjoy the story. This
issue does the same and is a nice conclusion. The series could have been better with more time put into
the story and a more suspenseful atmosphere. But Velocity is a likeable character that I enjoyed
following on this adventure and the artwork was great. I would not start off reading this
issue of Velocity without having read the first three, so waiting for a trade
with the entire mini-series may be worth it more to Velocity fans and others
looking for a good laugh if not a rock-solid story.Overall – 7.5 For more of Velocity’s quips, check out the speedster in
Artifacts#5 and
#6!
An all-around nerdette, I’m a comic book connoisseur, horror aficionado, video game addict, anime enthusiast and an aspiring novelist/comic book writer. I am the head of the comic book department and the editor-in-chief of Entertainment Fuse. I also write and edit articles for Comic Frontline. I am also an intern at Action Lab Entertainment, a comic book publisher at which I edit comic book scripts, help work on images in solicitations and help with other comic book related project. My own personal website is comicmaven.com.
Doctor Paine is the only other major character in Velocity
#4. He is a great villain for
Velocity, her perfect opposite personality-wise. She is witty, kind-hearted and makes you laugh, while Doctor
Paine is a disturbing shell of a man.
He never seems like much of a threat though. Velocity’s carefree nature throughout the series makes it
hard for the series to seem very suspenseful despite Marz’s inclusion of a
counter to show just how much time Velocity has left. When paying attention to it, the counter can bring a slight
feeling of suspense but the constant quips keep the atmosphere from being very
suspenseful.
The story still feels rushed, glimpsing over Velocity saving
her sister, an emotional event that seems neglected. The ending of the last issue is not even explained until
mid-way through this issue with some exposition that makes me feel like I’m
reading a recap – no humor just a quick catch-up that leaves me wishing the
explanation had been revealed in a more comedic way that better suits Velocity. The mini-series felt rushed throughout and
could have used more time to fully develop with an extra issue or two. If this short series was Ron Marz's
homage to Velocity’s fast-paced nature he should have left his witty symbolism
and exchanged it for more time to spend on telling the story. The squashed story still had an
appropriate ending that tied into the first issue and was extremely funny and
left the series off on a high note that makes me hope to see Velocity again
soon.
The art is mostly great but has some mediocre moments that
make this issue have the weakest artwork out of every issue in the
mini-series. Velocity’s face looks
oddly cartoony, giving Velocity a slightly chibi look. It was cute but strikingly different from
the rest of the series and this difference is not only highly noticeable but
unwanted after the great works of art given to us by Kenneth Rocafort in the
past issues. When her face does
return to normal the art goes back to being great. The drab background colors make an interesting contrast
against Velocity’s bright costume and a full-paged panel shows just how big the
robot Velocity is fighting really is and the artwork comes off well. Neither of those elements were the best
this issue. But an image of Doctor
Paine was and it still sends shivers down my spine!
Velocity has had a good run (no pun
intended) and I hope she comes back soon - I just hope she doesn't bring a
repeat performance and instead amps her game up a bit. Issues #1, #2 and #3 had
their fair share of problems but were not problematic enough to make you not crack
a smile and enjoy the story. This
issue does the same and is a nice conclusion. The series could have been better with more time put into
the story and a more suspenseful atmosphere. But Velocity is a likeable character that I enjoyed
following on this adventure and the artwork was great. I would not start off reading this
issue of Velocity without having read the first three, so waiting for a trade
with the entire mini-series may be worth it more to Velocity fans and others
looking for a good laugh if not a rock-solid story.
Overall – 7.5
For more of Velocity’s quips, check out the speedster in
Artifacts #5 and
#6! 
