Review – Crowded #7 (Image Comics)

Charlie and Vita are Back in Crowded #7

After a short break, Crowded is back and better than ever. For those that haven’t been following the series, Crowded is set in a world where one can crowdfund anything. Including hits on people, you don’t like. That’s what got Charlie in this mess and Vita by proxy.

Charlie is still not learning from past mistakes, and Vita is still doing her best to keep the dummy alive in Crowded #7. But we all kind of expected that, didn’t we? This series has been an impressive and sometimes comical ride. And hopefully, it isn’t planning on ending anytime soon.

Writing

Man, I hadn’t realized how much I missed this series until the break was over. And yes, Crowded #7 did make it all worth the wait. So that’s something. Like some of the previous issues, this one starts with some action and then takes the time to bring things back around.

Christopher Sebela is the writer, and he’s just been nailing it lately. And this issue is no exception to that rule. While I may have a love/hate relationship with Charlie, I adore Vita and everything about her. I also do not doubt that Sebela wrote both characters with the intent of causing these differing reactions.

Overall, this issue did an excellent job of balancing the action, the humor, and the drama. I’d say that there was probably a touch more humor and effort, but I’m okay with that. At least our unlikely duo has a plan and is progressing towards it even if that progress is on a bit of a sliding scale.

There were plenty of highlights in Crowded #7. The character interactions are one, of course. You can see how much effort went into planning them. But the secondary characters and their actions were also reasonably interesting. And provided the stark contrast necessary for this specific plot.

Art

The art in Crowded #7 was so much fun! I know that sounds like a slightly off description, but bear with me. The style itself has always been loose and free, so it lends well to some of the crazier scenes, including the battles. But this issue takes all of that a step further.

There was a lot of fighting in this issue, but the fights were pretty different from one another. Drastically so. And, dare I say that the artists did a fantastic job showing what the difference in skill can mean in a fight?

Three artists worked on this issue, so it’s no surprise that we got such an intense result. Ro Stein and Ted Brandt provided the linework, while Triona Farrell did the colors. Together they brought us some truly fantastic scenes. And bonus points for all of the wardrobe changes. Can Vita dress like that all the time, pretty please?

Conclusion

Series like Crowded prove why it’s worth it to be patient when a series goes on break. Crowded #7 wasn’t afraid to take some risks or have some fun. I’ve mentioned the fight scenes several times because they were excellent. But the character development and interactions were also amazing, as was all of the artwork in general.

It’s great to see this series going again. And while this issue didn’t end on a cliffhanger, I really am looking forward to seeing the next issue. I can’t wait to see what sort of mess Charlie gets into next!

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.