In this review of Sleep #4, Tabby learns about what Jon’s been up to each night and promises to try and help him however he can. But will logic be enough to solve the problem?
Sleep #4
Writer: Zander Cannon
Art and Main Cover: Zander Cannon
Variant Cover: Matt Kindt
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: August 27, 2025
Sleep #4 begins as Jon wakes on Wednesday morning in a wrecked mine, atop a pile of bodies. There’s blood everywhere, and he’s horrified that his solution ended up falling through. Shell-shocked, he goes to find Tabby, finding her at Hipp’s shack.
She’s relieved to see him after the previous night’s attacks, and asks about Hipp. As she helps him get cleaned up, he tells her all about how he’s the one that’s been going on these nightly rampages and asks for her help. At first, she’s in denial about how he, of all people, could be capable of the horrific carnage. But ultimately, she starts trying to think of reasonable explanations for the rampages.
Jon decides that maybe the church could drive this evil from him. They agree that if he doesn’t find what he needs, she’ll help him leave town.
At the church, it’s revealed that Pastor Stephen is still alive, that he’s been waiting for this sort of opportunity… In the church’s library is a book about demonology that Jon looks through. Hipp is at the church, and has been drinking. He talks about how much his old band sucked, the fac tthat people keep stealing paint…and gives Jon a bit of advice about faith.
As Sleep #4 ends, Jon tells Tabby that he didn’t find what he was looking for, and she makes good on her promise to help him out of town. They drive to a spot 50 miles out of town, where she drops him off.
So, Sleep #4 definitely raises some questions. First and foremost being this: Does Pastor Stephen have something to do with what’s happening to Jon? He has a demonology book in his library, and he had been absurdly giddy about the presence of something evil in town. There have been implications before about how he’s not as holy as he likes to think he is, so the possibility of him somehow causing this to happen to Jon in the first place is there.
At one point, there’s a mention of how goodness really pisses the Devil off, but fearlessness can repel him. When we factor in Hipp’s advice about faith (trusting in one’s self), that feels like a key component in helping with Jon’s situation.
At the same time, Tabby feels like she may also be crucial in helping Jon out. Having a good friend by his side can help mitigate the fear, and when someone’s first instinct upon finding out that their buddy has some sort of sleep-induced Mr. Hyde-on-steroids side to them is to start firing off potential reasons behind the problem… Yep, that’s a good friend to have.
I do sort of wonder if things are okay between her and Hipp, though. Yes, she’s concerned for his well-being the day after the rampage, but when he embraces her while drunk, it seems a bit uncomfortable. He may be a bit too hammered to apologize, but when Jon asks if she’s okay a few minutes later, she breaks out that ever-classic “I’m okay” response. She’s visibly upset, and “okay” or “fine” in that context are usually the opposite. Drinking in response to the current situation may be an understandable reaction, but that doesn’t prevent a relationship from becoming toxic.
I’m loving the artwork for this title, still, particularly the expressions of fear and exhaustion that would naturally spring up in the whole situation. And we see more background elements highlighted with red, which triggers some curiosity as to how they’d connect to things, but also adds to the visual interest.
Final Thoughts
Now that Jon has someone on his side willing to search for solutions, Sleep #4 has an added glimmer of hope for him. Will they find some answers? Maybe not right now, but there’re still a few issues left to the story, and friendship can go a long way.
