Shaffer and Krall bring this unusual tale of urban horror to a vague conclusion, one that's very much in keeping with the haunting ambiguity that's been characteristic of the series as a whole. There are no happy endings to be found, only fitting ones. What happens? To be honest, I couldn't be 100 per cent certain. But that's the point. The reader is challenged to examine and re-examine the stories and characters, to puzzle over their meaning.
Eddie is on the cusp of amassing his bankroll, and he's getting cocky as a result, and not just at the card table. He's begun to take his relationship with Celeste for granted as well as his own good fortune. David decides the time is right to introduce his card-shark protege to his clairvoyant drinking buddy, Leonard, in order to get a sense of the future -- or lack thereof -- that Eddie has built for himself. That night, though, Leonard sees more than one disturbing result, and he's shattered by what he sees.
Paul Pope and Mike Allred influences collide in the appropriately depressing style of Daniel Krall. The ugly and the unfortunate sides of the characters are emphasized in the linework. The greytones further reinforce that the world in which these characters live and create is a dark, uncomfortable place. Krall's style boasts a simple quality, but there's also a strong sense of realism in the art at the same time. He brings depth and texture to bear to achieve that balance.
The one admirable character in the story is Celeste, who finally finds herself and some direction in this issue. What's best is that she does so without the complete truth. She senses what's right and acts on it, and she's rewarded as a result. Part of me thinks the whole point of David's supernatural involvement in Eddie's life was to achieve that result. I like the notion that even without meeting her, David was looking out for her interests, not his own and definitely not Eddie's.
Was David engineering this result on purpose, or did he simply give Eddie a choice? What is David's purpose after all? What does Leonard see in the mirror? Shaffer provides no clear answer to these questions and more. I suspect I know the answer to some of them, but certainly not all. This story forces the reader to really think about the characters, their choices and whether or not their fates were beyond their control. Ultimately, I think the story is about destiny versus direction, and I'm curious to learn more about David and his nebulous mission.
