Dark Horse Comics’ Ether: The Copper Golems from writer Matt Kindt and artist David Rubin follows the continuing adventures of Boone Dias as he attempts to both understand the Ether and protect it and our world. And in Ether: The Copper Golems #4, Boone runs afoul of one of the titular golems in a unique, harrowing way.

In our exclusive preview of issue #4, on sale Wednesday, August 15th, we see Rubin use the comic page with the novel nimbleness we’ve come to expect and adore from his work. The flowing panels he uses—especially on those first two pages—invoke a notion of action and moving his and Kindt’s story along with a steady pace. Comic book creator Scott McCloud noted in Understanding Comics that the comic medium is one of the only avenues that can speed up and slow down time in a story in the way that it does, and Rubin is showing he’s mastered that skill beautifully. His linework pairs well with Kindt’s characterization, which is one of the jewels of all of his writing and both volumes of Ether in particular. Every member of the menagerie of cast members he’s assembled have crisp, distinct voices such that none of them blend into the background. With a book as fantastical in scope as Ether: The Copper Golems, that might be the most magnificent feat in the series.

ETHER: THE COPPER GOLEMS #4 cover

ETHER: THE COPPER GOLEMS #4 page 1

ETHER: THE COPPER GOLEMS #4 page 2

ETHER: THE COPPER GOLEMS #4 page 3

ETHER: THE COPPER GOLEMS #4 page 4

ETHER: THE COPPER GOLEMS #4 page 5

 

From the official issue description:

From New York Times bestselling Mind MGMT creator Matt Kindt and Black Hammer’s David Rubin comes this fantasy adventure about a science-minded hero intent on keeping the balance between Earth and a magic world!

Coming off the heels of a mummy packed cliffhanger, Boone Dias and co. battle their way through an enormous Copper Golem. With the last portal nearly in their grasp, the team has to get past a reality-warping goblin who is more than he seems!

Related: Matt Kindt on Fantasy & Family in Ether: The Copper Golems