Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the comic book blog for the ODPH podcast! For this entry, we're checking out the latest chapter from a great series on comiXology Originals. CENSUS #4 by Marc Bernardin, Adam Freeman, Sebastián Piriz, Bernardo Brice and Sarah Litt take readers along for another assignment with Liam Malone & his unusual work for the census bureau. The book has been a great mix of humor and drama thus far. Let's see what's going on here and if the win streak continues, shall we?

Census #4 - On Sale December 13th
Creative: Marc Bernardin, Adam Freeman, Sebastián Piriz, Bernardo Brice and Sarah Litt
Credit: Comixology Originals

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

In case you’re just joining in, Liam Malone is a likeable loser trying to find work and make it through this crazy place called life. When he applies for a job with the census bureau, Liam thinks it’s a sign of things changing in his favor. Unfortunately, not everything is what he thought. Liam works for the census bureau…but his job requires him to record the supernatural beings of New York City. From the start, he’s dealt with demons, leprechauns, and shape shifters just to name a few. After his last assignment, Liam gets ready to call it a day until a familiar face returns to see him: Lilith, the demon he “got close with” in issue #1.

The issue opens up with Liam and Lilith catching up since their initial encounter. The point of Lilith trying to get Liam on a date was a fun read as the bus driver had to jump in and guide Liam. Just when he thinks he’s got a win, his boss Mr. Pictor arrives to scold him on his recent escapades. Liam’s taken some different actions to get the job done and that is catching the eye of his boss. Liam walks away not too concerned as proceeds onto his next assignment: a cthulhu who proves to be quite charming.

With that meeting taken care of, Liam makes his way to a pizzeria in Hell’s Kitchen. Liam thinks he sees a literal ghost heading to the basement. As he walks down the stairwell, Liam finds ghosts of enslaved peoples on a burial site during the time of slavery. Liam leaves without any signatures and discusses what happened on his date with Lilith. During that conversation, Liam gets an idea to give the ghosts some closure thinking that will set them free from where they are living. What is Liam’s plan how to do this? Who does he get involved to help out? What will be the outcome if he pulls this off? Readers can expect more of the winning formula that this series has been delivering in answering those questions.

Bernardin and Freeman continue to present Liam Malone as a character of humor and heart. Thru all his “fish out of water” dealing with his job, Liam always comes across as someone who tries to be better that what life has thrown at him. The moments with Lilith and the bus driver came across very funny and work to win readers over each time. Seeing how Liam deals with the wide variety of characters he’s come across has shown a great deal of growth as he deals with his job. Seeing some of the supporting cast get more panel time as a nice change of pace. The story was entertaining in seeing what lengths Liam is willing to go to make things right no matter the consequence. Witnessing how his boss handles the latest event will be one to keep an eye on moving forward.

Piriz’s rendition of a cthulhu was amazing. It made for one of the more memorable scenes in the issue. Seeing the interaction with Liam and Lilith also made its’ presence known. Considering all the supernatural elements involved with this story, seeing the human aspect get valuable page time worked to connect readers with Liam and keep him grounded while moving thru assignments. Piriz’s attention to details (such as the cthulhu tentacles) was exceptional. The supporting cast got more attention this time around and Piriz made the most of their efforts in reflection to the story, where they haven’t had a ton of panel time previously. Great issue.

FINAL POINT: Census #4 progresses the legend of Liam Malone forward with another entertaining read. c Bernardin, Freeman, Piriz & the team don’t stray far away from the successful blueprint they’ve followed since issue one. Exciting writing (and humor) mashed up with fantastic art has made Census required reading each time out. Don’t pass on this issue for new comic book day.

Hit me up on ODPH social media and let me know what you thought of Census #4. Thanks for reading.

CENSUS #4 (COMIXOLOGY ORIGINALS)

Ken M