Somehow, some way, Remote became my favorite series in the Double Take lineup. I love the character of Samantha and to see her start off as a fearful fill-in DJ just trying to keep her station on air to becoming the first shock jock, has been enjoyable. The first issue really sells this concept short because you think you’re just going to be seeing her survive the night, get rescued and so on. Instead she’s been awake for over 24 hours and on the air for longer than that. Ed, the owner of all the radio stations we’ve checked in with, is now in Peru. I’m fairly certain we’re not supposed to take his drug/sex filled night of escapades seriously considering how much ground he’s covering and the fact that he’s not sleeping either. He begins checking in with his three stations and because he’s a great boss, pitting them against each other. He then takes the time to also bribe the FCC agent on Samantha’s behalf.
As for Samantha. I don’t want to ruin anything. I will say that one of her Zombie workers brings her roadkill to eat and instead of her being disgusted she’s upset that there’s no utensils and turns it into a great bit of radio. Again, I love her character. The religious stations load up a bus to come and stop her and that’s all I will say.
Aside from the great bit of storytelling and writing that happens in this issue there is a big reveal that the story has been leading up to. I won’t even tease it since it will give it away. I damn near clapped while reading it. Seriously. If I wasn’t holing a comic in my hand I would have clapped with fucking joy like some sort of overly happy child. It got me pumped for more.
This series has always had the most dialogue because of the nature of the situation. The dialogue is its strong suit. Our three different DJ’s are all in very similar situations and it’s been clever seeing how the story has rolled out more and more info on all three of them. Ed is the uniting force and so his dialogue must also be snappy and quick. He changes hats/brands quickly in order to talk to the different DJ’s on what he feels is their level. The dialogue definitely elevates this series for me above some of the other titles. It’s just that hard to beat.
The art looks about the same as the last issue which is good. The coloring is a bit more improved, but otherwise it’s starting to have a more consistent look to it. Frankly all I want from a comic sometimes is consistency in the artwork. What’s different about this issue though is that we’re venturing out into the world with everyone else in the universe.
I also want to mention Charlotte Greenbaum’s letter in the back of the issue. Read it. It’s interesting and it’s hard for me to describe the manner in which it’s written, but it’s basically her journey into the world of comic books. I just wanted to point that out because I really liked it.
Not having read too many of the fourth issues yet, I don’t know what other surprises there are. Usually when I write these reviews I’ve already read all ten issues, but this time I’m spreading them out due to the time I have available to write them. I’m telling you that because something could change between now and when I do another review, but more than likely this will be the first series I read when the fifth issues hit. It’s been the first series I’ve read for the last two outings and with the way it ends… well I did try to clap while holding a comic so I’m more than a little excited.
Score: 5/5
Remote #4 Story: Bill Jemas, Young Heller Script: Michael Coast, Michaela Murphy, Charlotte Greenbaum, Gabe Yocum Layouts/Pencils: Young Heller Colorist: Bryan Valenza Publisher: Double Take Comics Price: $2.50 Release Date: 6/1/16 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital