By Clyde Hall — When a fictional account involving historical figures captures a pitch-perfect portrait in words and actions of the famous, or infamous, individuals involved, that’s exceptional. It’s rare. More often, it feels like a cursory exercise of a writer imagining what a person might have said regarding their role in impactful events. Maybe based on accepted versions of what happened. Maybe founded in recorded comments, public and private, and their deeds. How the talk fit their walk.

Seldom does the reader sense a writer’s understanding of the historical figure actually channels them. Provides, on the page, a stage and a microphone for that person, turns down the house lights, and plants a spotlight on exactly who he or she was. How they felt. What mattered to them most during the course of extraordinary events. Writer Christopher Cantwell does exactly that in Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #4.

I was a year old when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Over the course of my life, I’ve read books and articles on the assassination, and I’ve watched documentaries and fictional accounts from ‘11/22/63’ to ‘JFK’ to ‘The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald’. I’m no conspiracy theorist, just a simple armchair historian with interest in events which influenced my generation.

But I’ve come away with a subjective view of Oswald himself, mainly derived from watching interviews conducted with his family members and others who knew him. In Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #4, Cantwell delivers a portrayal of Oswald so in line with my expectations, it borders on eerie. We’re given a character-driven oration supporting the idea that, no matter his role in the assassination or the degrees of his talents or qualities, there was at least one thing remarkable about Oswald: His staggeringly egotistical need to believe he was important and, perhaps more pointedly, his need for the world to acknowledge that importance. It is pomposity so pervasive that anyone not thinking as highly of Oswald as he did himself was, by default, holding him back from the recognition of greatness he felt richly entitled to.

It’s a jarring change from the hard-luck protagonist quartet we’ve come to know as they were stick-and-carroted into skullduggery support duties by those orchestrating the President’s murder. In this issue, Shep, Buck, Wainright, and Rose are part of a captive audience for Oswald’s truth before we get a balanced dose of darker, more likely truth from one of our four musketeers. By issue’s end, our quartet see more sticks in their future than carrots. But they’re making plans.

Plans we hope somehow end up beating heavily stacked odds, because Cantwell’s fully invested us in these underdogs over the preceding issues. He’s also cleverly tweaked known historical points of contention regarding the assassination, weaving a fictional narrative which never strays too far from the truth. Or, at least, details documented and just as often questioned regarding the aftermath of that dark day in Dallas.

Can you feel the heat of glares from characters in a comics panel? When artist Luca Casalanguida’s creating them, yes. In particular, his depiction of Rose as she deals with Oswald over the course of the issue could peel paint from the wall. Throughout the series, Casalanguida has captured the essence and attitudes of real people and fictional characters with equal expertise. Here, his smug Oswald swaggers. Proclaims his greatness as the mastermind of the operation. Lounges and basks in self-adulation as his underling support four go about all the work. Casalanguida makes them all as real as Oswald in the empathy they inspire. And in the loathing they share with the reader for their fifth wheel.

As our characters wait for an anticipated phone call, Giada Marchisio’s color art in Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #4 underscores the organic, understated passage of hours. She makes Dealey Plaza bright as noonday, the scrubby outlying areas sun-bleached, and the shadows of night extend with foreboding. Notable among the era-correct solid colors of the clothing our characters wear is, in this issue and previous, the plaid of Rose’s blouse. It never fails drawing my attention to the fiercest member of this quartet.

AndWorld Design gives equally fiery expression to gunshots this issue, punctuating normal dialogue fonts prevalent in the first half of the issue. More, the lettering work on handwritten notes, forged documents, and typed termination letters maintains the high quality and variety exhibited in the entire series so far.

Overall: The historical neo-noir of Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #4 provides stellar emotional escalation before a genuinely cathartic payoff, even as situational storm clouds gather for our heroes. We’ve transcended the decades and become a vicarious part of their crew, all through the efforts of an exceptional creative team. 9/10

Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #4

Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #4
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Luca Casalanguida
Colors: Giada Marchisio
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
A shadowy figure awaits the forensic results of Lee Harvey Oswald's supposed body, while our four-now five-are waylaid in Texas on their way to Louisiana, with the risk of capture adding to their already tense situation.
The four are increasingly bothered by their fifth wheel, and contemplate what to do about him, but when one of them answers that question, they'll all have no choice but to face their fates one way or another.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #4

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Clyde Hall (He/Him) lives in Southern Illinois. He’s an Elder Statesman of Geekery, an indie author, a comics fan/reviewer, and a contributing writer at Stormgate Press. He’s on twitter at: (@CJHall1984)