By Cat Wyatt

In issue #4 our unlikely team finally managed to break into heaven, and I gotta say it isn’t quite what I expect. Nor was the break-in itself, but that’s another story. Now that they’ve made it this far, it’s time for them to go forward with the next step of their plan. After all, their benefactor didn’t invite them up to heaven for a cup of tea.

Suddenly I understand why Hideki was pulled into this heist. He’s actually the perfect person for the scouting part of a mission. With Isaiah supervising and giving him directions, Hideki is more than capable of completing his part of the deal. Granted, a certain coin counter makes it a bit more difficult with his shenanigans, but that’s neither here nor there.

Apparently the team has another plan that they’ve been working on behind the angel’s back. I’m not really sure what it is, but I can’t wait until it’s fully revealed. So far all I know is that it involves Hideki intentionally getting busted during his preliminary scouting mission. I don’t know how that’s actually going to end up being an advantage to them, unless they’re hoping to set up the angel for quite a fall (which would be pretty interesting).

Part of their plan also included Hideki recording as much information as possible from the Records Room. Now that bit I am extra curious about. They’re clearly after something specific, but the question is, what? (Okay, I actually know, but I’m not ruining it for you, so there!).

I have to say I’m impressed Hideki was able to survive a fight with a couple of angels AND get away. That is no mean feat. I’m not sure many people could pull that off, which goes a long way in explaining why Isaiah picked Hideki out of all the options out there.

Ever wonder how a bunch of people from hell would party if they made it into heaven? As it turns out, it involves alcohol, pools, and some voyeur (okay, that’s only Hideki, but still). Quite the party, to say the least. Not that the angel thinks they actually deserve to celebrate, considering he doesn’t know that they got spotted on purpose (a fact that Hideki almost mistakenly revealed…whoops).

It never occurred to me to think about any ulterior motives for coming to heaven, but in retrospect Erin has one hell of a reason for taking on the mission. She’s an adult trapped in a child’s body – can you imagine how awful that would be? Having your mental age in no way reflected in your physical body? It actually reminds me of Interview With a Vampire…but anyway, apparently Erin was hoping that by coming to heaven the two parts of her would synch up, and when that didn’t happen she was actually pretty devastated. I can understand that, and I feel for her.

I don’t really know what the end game is with having Erin and Isaiah pose as investigators is, but I am impressed that they were able to pull the wool over Uriel’s eyes. Also, he is one insanely mean angel. It’s so easy to forget that some versions of heaven have angels capable of war and torture…but this is very clearly one of those versions. I hope the team pulls it off, because I personally wouldn’t want to piss that man (erm, angel) off.

Like the last few issues; this one focuses on the character pictured on the cover (in this case Amunet) and tells the story of their life and death. Amunet’s was interesting, but also not surprising, all things considered. Still, I’m really happy that they’re following that pattern. It gives me a good idea of what the next issues will entail.

I’m enjoying this series. I’m anxious to see their next step for the plan, and how the investigator gimmick is going to pay off. I love the steady buildup of the series; the pace is steadily providing us with action and information, and yet it never feels rushed.

I still love the artwork for the series, especially the combination of somber tones over brighter colors. It works shockingly well. I also love how each of the main characters is completely different and distinct from the others. It isn’t easy to have a cast that large and still have that much variation in them.

Score: 4/5

Heavenly Blues #4
Scout Comics