End of Life #3 – Kyle Starks, Writer; Steve Pugh, Artist; Chris O’Halloran, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Of all the new Vertigo books to come out of this first wave, this one has the most straightforward plot, but it makes up for it with a ton of humor and some surprising emotional honesty. Eddie Stallion, on the run from his own criminal syndicate after accidentally robbing them, has reunited with his dying hitman father as the two try to reconcile amid their ongoing dislike for each other. Despite the tension, Eddie finds himself in a very awkward situation while helping the old man, and while the dark humor involved could go very wrong in lesser hands, the scene surprisingly works. There’s a great scene between Eddie and another resident of the small town that will be all too relatable for anyone who’s dealt with an aging or sick parent towards the end of their life, and the book manages to get really emotional when it’s working with these themes.
But this is ultimately an assassin comedy, and Eddie is never allowed to forget that he’s a marked man for too long. He tries to go about his daily life in the town, insulting plenty of people along the way, but it’s not long before the next villain shows up. In the form of a man in a chicken suit who only says the words “Big Cock” over and over again. This scene is absurd, but there’s also a level of over-the-top action and violence that reminds me a lot of the great recent action-comedy Bullet Train. Most of Kyle Starks’ best work has this same level of absurdity to it, and Steve Pugh’s art is just cartoony enough to work no matter the context of the scene. The story itself is a little bit of a slow-burn, with each issue usually containing one showpiece fight scene, but the small cast of characters and the setting are all compelling enough that it works and has me excited for the next issue every month.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
