Four Women

by Sam Kieth

Donna struggles to accept the events that occurred when she, Beverly, Marion, and Cindy were attacked by two men after their car broke down on the side of a rural road late at night while on their way to a wedding reception.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics, American, Comic Book

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Kieth first came to prominence in 1984 as the inker of Matt Wagner's Mage, his brushwork adding fluidity and texture to the broad strokes of Wagner's early work at Comico Comics. In 1989, he drew the first five issues of writer Neil Gaiman's celebrated series The Sandman, but felt his style was unsuited to the book (specifically saying that he "felt like Jimi Hendrix in The Beatles") and left, handing over to his former inker Mike Dringenberg.

He acted as illustrator on two volumes of writer William Messner-Loebs' Epicurus the Sage and drew an Aliens miniseries for Dark Horse Comics, among other things, before creating The Maxx in 1993 for Image Comics, with, initially, writing help from Messner-Loebs. It ran for 35 issues and was adapted, with Kieth's assistance, into an animated series for MTV. Since then, as a writer-artist, he has gone on to create Friends of Maxx, Zero Girl, Four Women and Ojo.

Ojo comprises the first and My Inner Bimbo the second, in a cycle of original comic book limited series published by Oni Press. Loosely connected, the cycle will concern the intertwined lives of people with each other and sometimes with a supernatural entity known as the Mysterious Trout. Kieth has stated that other characters from The Maxx series will appear in this cycle of stories. My Inner Bimbo #1 was published in April 2006. Issue #2 was delayed past its original release date; It was finally resolicited in "Previews" in 2007 and hit the store shelves in November 2007.

DC Comics' Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious, a two-issue prestige format mini-series that started in August 2007, was written and drawn by Kieth. This was followed by 2009's two-issue prestige format mini-series Lobo: Highway to Hell, written by Scott Ian and featuring art by Kieth.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The car four friends are in breaks down...two men stop to help them. What happens next is nightmarish and will change all four women forever. This is a powerful GN that deserves a MUCH wider audience; my favorite work by the very talented Sam Kieth. You will not be disappointed if you give this book a read!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic gets more points for intent than for actual outcome. In a field as laced with unchallenged misogyny as comicbooks, I like that Kieth chose to tell a story about four women, and how they cope with sexual assault. The problem is, he didn't tell a story about four women. Character development is near nil. What passes for character development was a page with four panels, each showing a character and detailing their ages, personality types and main flaws. A classic example of the failure to show, not tell. The story revolves around an incident in which the four women are trapped in a car while two men attempt to attack and sexually assault them. This incident is telegraphed and recapped, both redundantly. But the actual incident is interesting, the set-up, the choices, the "what would you do?" implicit. Again, he is able to write the drama of the incident, but not the psychological or emotional component, which is constantly being reached for. Ultimately, I found this story to be a let-down, dissatisfying, but not wholly without merit.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the strongest of Sam Kieth's comics work, and it's hard to say that it actually works on the storytelling level--but if it's a failure, it's a compelling and challenging one. Kieth deserves credit for attempting to take on such an emotionally fraught topic, but ultimately I wonder if maybe it's not his story to tell. Kieth has taken on sexual violence before, and he has a knack for writing complicated women who feel like real people with conflicting and contradictory points of view; unfortunately, the eponymous Four Women haven't been afforded the same room to develop as strong but imperfect women like Julie Winters, Sara(h), and Amy Smootster, and the traumatic event at the center of the story and the way the characters react to it doesn't totally ring true. Still, this is a story that focuses exclusively on women, told in a medium that even today that is severely lacking in representation of women. But as much credit as Kieth deserves for attempting this story, even if it ultimately fails, women don't only need representation in comics--they also need their voices to be heard as creators, and ultimately, I think that this is why Four Women doesn't quite work; Kieth is telling a story that's not his to tell.

[Amber H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. This powerful comic about rape avoids being voyeristic or contrived, and instead provides one of most realistic depictions of trauma that I have ever encountered. The eponymous four women are portrayed compassionately and are fully developed as people. If I didn't know better, I'd swear Mr. Kieth was a woman, and I mean that in the best possible way.

[Eve Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually own this as the original series of 5 comic book issues. It's excellent. Sam Kieth is a master at creepy, yet darkly funny, comics.

[K.Q. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Sam Kieth!

[João Teixeira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dou 3 estrelas, mas talvez devesse dar 2... Não acho que seja uma história verosímil, nem que me vá ficar na memória. A determinada altura pensei que este quase que poderia ser um argumento de um filme de Quentin Tarantino, com algumns momentos violentos. Mas aqui, sem uma certa ironia que serve como escape humorístico. Talvez seja isso que acaba por faltar nesta história. As personagens não são cabalmente desenvolvidas e é tudo demasiado estranho... Por que razão há uma miúda de 18 anos a viajar com mulheres já maduras de 30 e 40 anos? Porque é misógina e chauvinistacemente conveniente para a história...
O final é também um bocadinho clichê, mas quanto a isso, acho que seria inevitá el um final redentor.
A forma como o autor vai colocando as pequenas reviravoltas da história funciona bem, porque joga com a questão da memória e da forma como quem nos narra a história quer esconder as verdades que quer abafar ou esconder...
Enfim, fica com as 3 estrelas, porque talvez seja um livro do qual ainda se pode extrair algumas ideias que nos ponham a pensar...

[Rocco Ricca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sickining at times, this book leans very heavily into a very scary situation. What would happen if four women were trapped in a car when two men are trying to get it. Sam Keith tackles the heavy subject with amazing artwork and great storytelling. Keith does his job well, showing the seriousness of the situation, this made it very hard to read at times. Never the less, it was a very good read. Definitely recommend.

[JK · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel is a very quick read, but certainly plants some serious questions in the reader's mind. I finished the book in the space of half an hour last night, and it has stayed with me all day.

The story focuses on these four women and how each of them deals with the matter of sexual assault. Kieth is essentially plunging the reader into this situation, asking them to observe, and then asking what they would do had they been in the car.

I did find some parts completely unrealistic, and I felt his portrayal of the sexual abuse from a woman's point of view fell short by a long way. It was quite difficult to believe, and uncomfortable for the wrong reasons. The characterisation was poor, with the characters seeming extremely underdeveloped. I'd have liked to have heard more of how the women came to be friends, and especially how Cindy, the teenager, came to be a member of the group.

My previous reviews of graphic novels have always stated that I am no expert in this genre, and I'm certainly not. I am a dunce when it comes to the artwork involved in these types of literature, however I didn't like the artwork here. The women looked macabre at times, almost like gargoyles, and this created a surreal edge, making the women even more unrealistic in my eyes.

Despite the above, I liked that Kieth was forcing the reader to think. The story wasn't about the assault as such; it was about sacrifice, guilt, friendship, love, and denial. Mostly, it was a tool to help us think of our own moral codes, and how we would have behaved in place of one of the women. It prompted some very interesting thought debates in my own mind.

Although I feel Kieth's intention was perhaps a lot more meaningful than the result, this was definitely something I enjoyed, although more for the underlying message than the actual plot. I'd recommend this to someone who is looking to pass half an hour, and to have a bit of a ponder at the same time.

[Fugo Feedback]

Jamás lo vi a la venta en ningún lado. Si en algún momento se cruza por mi camino y no me quieren cortar la cabeza con el precio, seguro se sume a mi aun modesta Kietheca.

[Jake Nap · Rating 2 out of 5]

I commend Sam Kieth for trying to tell a story like this, but heavy subject matter has to come with a very empathetic approach and this just felt exploitative to me.

[RSC_Collecting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeez. What a series. That was intense. I've always liked Sam Kieth and need to read more of his work. I ended up finding this one that I had never heard of. I think it needs to be said that this is easily one of the best things I've read from him. The raw emotions and situations stripped of any censorship. The story is about four women driving somewhere far away. The destination isn't important. It's about their journey. Their car breaks down and they're forced to wait for help. When a truck with two men pull up and look to help. Well, that's when all hell breaks loose. I'll keep the sensitive subjects out of this one. But I'm sure you can imagine the worst things about this situation. Whatever you're imagining, it probably happens in here. It's awful. It's horrific. It's a reminder of why humans are so terrifying. The stuff they can do with no remorse. But this isn't a story about all of that. Sure that happens. But there's so much more lying underneath the story and back to reality. You see, this series is narrated by one of the women. She is talking to her therapist and recounting the events that took place. It is some of the most realistic dialogue I think I have ever read. It doesn't even feel like a story. It feels as though we were a fly on the wall in a therapy session. With all the gruesome details drawn in our minds. It's a story about fear. About acceptance. About mistakes. About survival. About loss. It's brilliant and brave. Especially for the very early 2000's. Phenomenal work on this one. A must read.

[AmbroseKalifornia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. Only four issues, but it didn't feel rushed. I try not to give plot spoilers so I'll just say that this is a Sam Keith comic that explores how four very different women react to an event. It's the farthest thing in the world from superheroes, and in fact I doubt a lot of fanboys would even read it. It's definitely not The Maxx, or even Wolverine. It's a realistic story with believable characters and their all too plausible reactions to a terrible situation. It's a tense psychological mystery that unfolds slowly over the four issues, but never feels slow. It's very much like a sad independent film. Honestly, I feel Keith's pencils are too dynamic for the story he wants to tell. He might have been better served with a less interesting artist, but his characters are so unique to his style. The more kinetic scenes are terrific, obviously, but the whole story is well written, and a huge departure for someone who's already known to be a risk-taker. I'd love to see this adapted into a short film, but as successful as I think he was, I just don't think I'm the target audience for this. I think I admire it more than I actually enjoyed it, but if what I've (vaguely) described sounds interesting pick it up, because it's better than I'm selling it.

Recommended to alt comic fans, indie film fans, and women who don't like comic books.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Kieth is one of my favorite comics creators. His uniquely dreamy superhero and fantasy stories are always challenging but never boring and his distinctive art style is brain-meltingly creative. There is absolutely no mistaking a Sam Kieth comic for the work of anyone else. As he notes in his introduction, "Four Women" is Kieth's first reality-based story but you'd have a hard time thinking so because it's plot, about four friends trapped in a car by two men who are up to no good, is just as surreal and horrific as his fiction work. It started a little slow for me, as I adjusted to his narrative framework, using a therapy session to explore the awful events in flashback, but once I got used to it, the story just hummed. There are some truly memorable moments in "Four Women" and Kieth has outdone himself with how dynamic and powerful some of these pages are. A rape-revenge comic set in a car interior for five issues isn't an easy project to make work but not many creators are as fearless and committed as Sam Kieth.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hauntingly beautiful, yet horrible, pseudo-nonfictional account of a thing that actually happened, as per the introduction. Or rather, I *hope* it's embellished--I'd really rather this not have actually happened in real life as is illustrated, even though I know similar stuff happens all the time, with endings that aren't as "happy" as this one (which isn't even that happy, but you know what I mean).

The surprise cameo toward the end is a nice treat, too, and I honestly would have been disappointed if it had been someone else. :D

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd book. Kieth's style can't help but look charming to me, even when he is dealing with quite dark subject matter. The obviously unreliable narrator here is all too obvious about her unreliability and the secret she is trying to keep.

The last chapter mostly works anyways, and gets this book an extra star.

[Niche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deliverance with sisterhood elements

I went into this blind, having some familiarity with Sam Kieth's other works, knowing only that it was some kind of psychological horror. This is the trapped horror of Cujo with the stranger danger of Deliverance told with an eye on female friendship and psychological trauma.

[Claudio Calia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ne ho scritto qui:
https://www.obloaps.it/quasi/2025/02/...

[Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not expect that plot at all when I started reading it. I just picked it up because it was Sam Kieth. It threw me off, was very uncomfortable, and seemed to me a tad bit too .... not sure what. So okay, here is a man trying to tell a rape story from the woman's point of view, and he completely missed out on the pain. He showed the fear well, but not really the pain. I found aspects really unrealistic and as it was his attempt at telling a realistic story for once fell short in actually realistically telling it. He showed sacrifice and cowardice at the same time well but it wasn't entirely believable. He did some aspects really well, though. The story between the women was fantastic, as was the suspense. The men ....well, even sadists have personalities and aren't necessarily just brutish balding muscular freaks, but I understand that isn't what needs to be shown, especially not when a man is writing a rape story. Overall it was good, and may sink in and seem way better after a few days of thinking about it.

[Javiera Tapia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know this is called the weakest of Sam Kieth's works and somehow is truth. It can't be compared with The Maxx or Zero Girl but I think too it's unfair to be so partial. Those comics give you the chance to be trippy, weird and mind blowing while 4W only can play with what reality gives you. Clearing that you can see it for its own merit which is a asfixiating tale about four women in a road, merciless around the pure violence encarned by this men. It's cruel, it's nerve racking and for a woman reader at times nightmarish but still it's not morbid and I'm thankful of that. It has its flaws, keeping a lineal story it's always an issue with Keith's works and I felt all the after story was too condensed but still works. The little plot twist (huge actually) at the end changes all and gives this comic its own credit as a worth reading Sam Keith's comic

[Lani · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't enjoy this at all. Really more of 1 and a half stars but I couldn't bump it up to two. The art wasn't my style, so even getting into the story was kind of a struggle because I kept getting distracted by how much I dislike the art.

More important, the rape. A guy writing about the rape of women just doesn't do it for me. It didn't seem like he actually captured any of the things that happen when someone gets raped. Also, I didn't realize that was where the plot was going and would have chosen not to read this graphic novel if I had known it was about rape.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know...it's a male author writing about a horrific rape situation - and it just didn't ring true for me. There are a number of instances where I feel quite certain women wouldn't behave the way he has them behaving. It feels like he's rushing to get to the critical incident and hasn't developed the characters as fully as he might. So, interesting, but it could have been so much more!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do loves me some Sam Kieth.

While some of the plot can be seen coming from space and the characterization can get a bit wobbly, it's still such a brave, difficult, and sensitive piece of work that it makes me a bit proud to read comics.

[Gpx · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story follows the usual cliches and author can't get over certain limits of his moral beliefs which is really a problem for me. It makes an impression of a cartoon for children U12 where no raw content is allowed.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the book I was expecting at all. A story about rape and the emotional impact it has on the 4 women involved. The story stumbles at times, but it is quite powerful at other times. Beautiful art, and a brave topic to tackle.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story had the breadth, depth, and angle of an episode of CSI. Interesting, but... not that interesting. The illustrations were uninteresting and not a style I found pleasing.

[Kit Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely not something to read when you have an hour to rest before dinner out and you can't sleep.  A very well-told tale, but not a pleasant one at all...

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a difficult yet powerful read. Warning for rape.