Stardust #4 arrived in the stores March 18th. This article illustrates the agony we readers of comics go through sometimes, especially when we are waiting for the less commercial types of comics.
DC and Vertigo have come up with a great piece of work which some argue is not a comic book but more of an illustrated fairy tale. Be that as it may, Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess have put together a wonderful tale of faerie magic called Stardust, a 4 part mini-series published under DC's Vertigo label.
Interesting as this title may be, what isn't interesting is the fact that the 4th and final 48 page issue of this mini is weeks overdue! The book which was supposed to be released early January has been postponed over and over again and there is still no release date in sight. Very frustrating for the fans who are waiting for the conclusion to this mystical saga and have been waiting far longer that the interval between the other 3 issues.
It has been speculated that Vertigo was dissapointed with the sales that Stardust has brought so far and are trying to build up a little bit more suspense by delaying the last issue. This is more likely than blaming Neil Gaiman, who always has his whole story boards planned out before he starts a project, and who probably was finished writing everything before issue #1 came out.
Whatever the reason behind this delay, one can't help but think that there is an ulterior motive to the last issue in a series being over a month late. Is it torture from the DC offices? Did they accidentally drop the original into a vat of acid never to be seen again? Is Charles Vess being held hostage by anti-Stardust terrorists bent on destroying the planet - but destroying any possibility of Stardust ever reaching completion first? Perhaps we'll never know...
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