Title: Pit Fighters 4. Family Ties
Author: Rick Griffin
Art: Rick Griffin, Strawbearer, Qualzar
Genre: Furry / LGBTQ / Sports
Paris has FINALLY decided to put effort into his fight training! But with a tournament coming up near his home neighborhood, he can no longer put off confessing to his mother about the problems with his contract. So it’s time for a dinner date back home!
This book contains adult content and situations.
In my reviews for volumes 1, 2, and 3, I scored each book a solid 4 out of 5. With that level of consistency thus far, I had high hopes for this release. I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed. The biggest change from previous releases is in the internal art. This time around, Rick shared the visual duties with two other artists. Both do a good job, providing pieces that fit stylistically with the previous volumes, but that have a feel of their own. That being said, I will admit to having a preference for Rick’s pieces though. His shading really makes the art pop, and there are a lot of little details that add to that. For example, towards the end of the book, there’s a piece where Paris and Kinny kiss and the subtle creases in Paris’ body as Kinny grips him adds an extra dimension.
As far as the story goes, there’s less in the way of Paris in combat mode this time. He trains at the start, and there’s a scuffle between Kinny and Paris’ brother Blitz, but this is otherwise a fight-free edition. Physically, at least. Paris still has some emotional battles to fight here.
The big one is coming clean to his Mum about the money troubles he’s now in. Honestly, the focus being on Paris and his trip home went a long way to reminding me of why he’s such an endearing lead character. His nervousness combined with the warm relationship he has with his Mum is really quite nice.
Paris also has to battle to balance his internal wants and needs. In this instance, it leads to an adult scene with him, Kinny, and Logan. It always felt like him getting physical with Logan was going to come eventually, and it felt exactly as you’d expect if you’ve read the other volumes. The intimacy with Kinny was a little sweeter though, and I found it easy to root for them to make this more than a case of mutual physical release.
Overall, I really enjoyed this release. The sentimentality of the story was a good fit for these characters, and when combined with some excellent art, it all helps make this a worthy addition to your furry collection. It scores another 4 out of 5 from me.
Matt Doyle Media 