Review: Babyteeth #4

There is something about a comic book that focuses on a teenage mother who gave birth to the Anti-Christ that keeps me coming back for more. Babyteeth has been a solid offering from Donny Cates (writer) and Garry Brown (artist) since the first issue, and this fourth offering in the series continues the string of exemplary work.

When Sadie gave birth to her son Clark, the Earth shook. When she tries to feed him, he bites her with retractable teeth, and when he cries out loud, portals from hell open, allowing small creatures to fall through. It“s suffice to say that this is no ordinary baby. Now there are assassins attempting to take him out and Sadie has to find a way to keep her offspring alive while trying to learn why all of these strange things continue to occur.

The story is narrated by Sadie, the young teenage mother of Clark, in a future we“re not yet introduced to. She“s telling him the story of who he is and how the events of his life occurred, so he has a record of his history. Still in this issue, readers are not yet informed about what happened and why she“s doing this, but from what we“ve seen so far, I“m willing to wait to find out. The pace of this story written by Donny Cates has been nice and steady. He“s not guilty of trying to rush things, he lets the story unfold naturally. I appreciate this speed as it slowly unfolds and offers multiple twists and turns.

Artistically, Garry Brown brings the mood to life with clean lines and solid artwork. The coloring by Mark Englert provides a rich technicolor noir flair to the story. This is a team that seems to be on the same page and works together very well.

Beyond the fact this is a story about a teenage mother who has given birth to a spawn of Satan, this is really a story about family. There is a young girl, willing to do anything to keep her child safe. She relies on her sister to help her when she is overwhelmed, and trusts her protective father to keep her safe when it is truly needed. The duality of this family element should not be lost on the main story of finding a way to survive in a world that seemingly will stop at nothing to destroy you and your young. I see this in other stories Donny Cates writes, (see Redneck) and it makes me think he must be an honorable and decent human being. Babyteeth is one of my favorite ongoing series at the moment. I can“t recommend it enough.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Donny Cates (A/CA) Garry Brown

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Bryan Spaulding

In his free time, other than reading comic books, Bryan enjoys listening to his ever growing record collection and driving his 27 year old roadster named Mingo.