Brian Wood continues to tell extreme personal yet intense stories that never fail to cast off predictability. The characters in this series -- and in Wood's other creator-owned works -- embrace their humanity, but their circumstances are so extreme, it's like peering through the looking glass for the reader. It's an odd combination: the characters are so true and alive that the audience can relate to them, but their lives are almost alien. This script is gripping, and Ryan Kelly's detailed, angular style conveys the crescendoing emotion and unbelievable tension incredibly well.
A young woman looking forward to a day of snowboarding finds her reverie shattered when she's drawn into a long-brweing conflict between two brothers. One is a simple truck driver who's dedicated to his family and ill father, and the other is one who left behind his blue-collar background, clawed his way into the city and suburban life and an unending routine of hard work. For one of them, life has taken several turns for the worse, and he's desperate to see his life turned around in the direction it's supposed to be. And his desperation makes for a deadly standoff.
Ryan Kelly's work reminds me a great deal of Becky Cloonan's work on Demo; no surprise there -- same writer and storytelling style, after all. But then there are panels that make me think of Paul (Batman: Year 100) Pope's stark style. And there are moments that boast the realism and maturity of Tony (Ex Machina) Harris's art. Kelly's clearly studied a lot of different comic art, and a diversity of influences shine through. Ultimately, his style is his own, though. He employs shadow and thick lines to great effect. He has a keen eye for how the human figure moves, and though many panels boast something of a simpler style, he achieves a strong, realistic look.
Wood keeps the reader on his or her toes at all times, because for the first half of this issue, the audience can never be sure what the story is about. At first, we're led to believe it's about a young woman with a penchant for the slopes. And then when the focus shifts to the two men, the writer keeps us off balance by holding back information on the true nature of the conflict. The tension repeatedly increases and eases as the gun goes from pivotal threat to an afterthought that's set aside.
Personally, I feel this issue serves as a warning of the dangers of a sense of entitlement. People often do stupid things, selfish things and hurtful things because they feel the world owes them something. We've all felt as though we just can't catch a break from time to time, but it's those people who feel they're entitled to something more no matter what they have to do to get it that cause ripples in society. My day job is as a courts/crime reporter for a daily newspaper, and I see that sense of entitlement. It's sad, pathetic and irksome all at once. Wood crafts a character with such a delusion that he's owed the American Dream simply because he believes he fits the description of the stereotypical upper-middle-class man. 10/10
