Storytellers Ryan Benjamin & James Tynion IV
Inker Richard Friend
Colorist David Baron
Letterer Carlos M. Mangual
Cover Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair
Last Issue
Caden Park springs a trap set for him by the House of Conquest and is on the run when our heros The Immortal Men come in to save the day. We are introduced to Reload, Timber, Stray, and Ghost Fist while they show up just in time to save Caden’s tail. Naturally, Caden runs away from all the craziness and is able to catch the cab, but this cab and driver are different. It’s the Immortal Man here to try to talk our protagonist through his totally understandable mental breakdown. Before any words can be said the cab is t-boned and Caden is extracted by a Roderick Clay, a man his parents hired to come to save him. Never catching a break, their vehicle is attacked by more of these same monsters. Caden makes a break for it, only to find that the House of Conquest had gotten home first where we are introduced to Kill. Showing himself to be the cause of these monsters, Kill is here to take Caden’s life as he did his parents in the name of the Infinite Woman. Lucky for Caden Stray was fast enough to get there in time for Ghost Fist to teleport them both out.
Now
The issue starts us off with Roderick, a newly unemployed and overqualified bodyguard, shell shocked with vague memories of monsters and the previous events. When he looks over to the building he had worked in fir the passed three years suddenly and mysteriously replaced with a construction site. Snap back to Caden waking up in an old prohibition era speakeasy with the Immoral men. They try to explain to him who he really is, but Caden still believes he’s in a dream. With no time to really reflect on anything our newly introduced heroes strive to find a way to get through to Caden. Quickly before someone else we care about is lost to the Eternal War.
Reflection
This issue kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time with its clever timing in dialogue and snap panel transition. Still Jim Lee fails to disappoint us with dynamic illustrations that can show moments of awkward calmness and forward indignation through not only its clever wordplay but with its pictures shows a level of talent that comes with experience. This issue seems to slow it down a bit and stops you right at the top of the roller coaster for the drop to come next month.