After reading Days Missing: Kestus #3 I wondered whether we would ever see a time when The Steward fails. Issue 3’s ending made that seem unlikely but issue 4 was full of surprises and a thoroughly entertaining read. 

It’s the dawn of a new millennium, the last seconds of 1999 and Y2K fear is rife in the modern world. The Steward is there to witness mans leap into the next millennium when chaos strikes. Blackouts strike the city and The Steward immediately thinks it is the work of Kestus until he folds the day and discovers that she is there with him trying to prevent the blackouts as well.  

The set-up made it seem like issue 4 was going to forget what happened at the end of issue 3 but Kestus was good to her word. Not only were readers treated to the Y2K setting but Phil Hester shows us some Steward and Kestus action in the lead up to World War I, the conclusion of World War II and an unknown new world. Seeing the two of them interact during these huge, historic events is one of the highlights of the series and it was nice to see a few more events crammed into this issue yet have them remain relevant to the story. One of those settings also answered my question, yes there is a time when The Steward fails and Kestus succeeds and a lot of issue 4 is an eye-opener to The Steward and the reader as to just how useful and powerful Kestus really is.  

The fourth issue also demonstrates that both Kestus and The Steward have undergone a lot of growth as characters. The Steward has grown in his appreciation of Kestus even though she has long been his enemy she has also been the one constant in his life and has often been able to show him things about people he did not realize. Kestus has grown in terms of her evaluation of the human race, realizing some of their potential but still holding onto some of her earlier traits namely thinking that she is better than the human race and that it needs her around so it won’t destroy itself. The characters have also grown together with issue 4 demonstrating just how serious their relationship has become and it’s not overly surprising consider how often the two meet and how they are the one constant in each other’s lives. Due to this strong relationship the dialogue between Kestus and The Steward is great with some nice back and forth between the two like The Steward claiming this is the sort of thing I’d assume you’d do when discussing the Y2K fiasco with Kestus.  

About the only problem this issue has comes from thinking about the plot too much. Kestus has always been the thorn in The Steward’s side and you can understand that because she is powerful in her own right. Issue 4 presents a new villain who is rather ordinary compared to Kestus and The Steward and if you think about the logistics of this one man bringing about Y2K then the story loses some of its believability.  

Days Missing: Kestus has had strong art over the course of the series and issue 4 is no exception. Every issue looks like the time period it’s trying to portray and even though there isn’t a lot of action the art keeps you engaged with good use of body language and facial expressions and there are nice touches like the fact that The Steward and Kestus’s hair and coats blow in the wind as they are standing on top of a tall building. The different time periods on show here also demonstrate great variety in the art.

Days Missing: Kestus has been a great series so far and issue 4 is another solid entry into it. It really shows how the characters The Steward and Kestus have developed over the series and it’s great to see the two of them interact. If you don’t scrutinize the plot too much it’s another great what-if sci-fi issue from Phil Hester and crew.