After the surprise twist of last issue, I'm not sure Winick could shock me as much again, and indeed there weren't any surprises in this issue that were such a curveball as in issue #6. Which is not to say that Winick's script still doesn't have plenty of surprises in it, including the revelation of the killer and hints about his motive, which lead to the mystery of how he got his information and what exactly his motives are. These are questions that can be guessed at, but certainly the specifics remain tantalizingly out of reach, beckoning the reader back for the final chapter of this arc. All the while, Winick sprinkles the story with the questions of how people deal with fame, how husbands and wives deal honestly with each other and the strange things that people will do in their quest for entertainment and happiness. John Severin of course continues to serve up spectacular artwork, full of the rich detail that brings the characters to life and the darker, bloodier side of sex and murder that is intertwined with the plot and provides much of the tone of the story.
We all like to think that we know our friends, but the truth is that probably even the closest of them have some secrets from us. Most of them probably aren't as shocking as the truths that Anne finds out about John and Deborah in this issue, but certainly one can relate to the head-spinning feeling of learning that your friends aren't who you thought they would be. I love how Winick shows the effects that the exposure of these secrets would have in microcosm by showing the reaction of Anne's co-workers, and also that he has Hawks give us an explanation for what was going on and why he would do it that sheds a lot of light on his character. The revelation of what was going on could be considered tawdry, but at the same time, it doesn't make me feel any less for the lead character, and it certainly makes the quest to prove his innocence all the more important.
Rather than leave the reader in the dark as to whether or not Hawks actually did it, Winick outright answers the question this issue by revealing what's actually going on. Or at least, he shows us that there is another killer at work, and his ranting behavior and calculated methods indicate that he's a serial killer. They also indicate a pretty good idea of what his motives are, a sort of misguided prudishness that isn't difficult to believe from a killer. What they don't tell us, and what leaves me just aching to read the next issue, is how the killer found out about this secret, and what he's going to do when he winds up with proof of that secret in his hands. Is murdering these people worse than smearing them public? Might he do both? Who knows? I don't know where the story is going, and that's a treat.
Once again, John Severin turns in a tour-de-force art performance. There's a lot of anger thrown around in these pages, and Severin's characters practically boil with emotion when they confront one another. The passion in Anne's attempts to defend her client, and the frustration she feels when she can't bring every weapon to bear, is palpable. Severin populates the era with period clothing, hairstyles and backdrops as well, effectively depicting '70s Hollywood, and when he has to touch on the more horrific elements of murder and dead bodies, he doesn't shy away from the detail there either.
Because it's about the movie business, it's easy to imagine Caper as a film, and though these kind of suspense thrillers have been done to death in Hollywood, Caper is a good example of why people still go to them. It's like putting together an A-list scriptwriter and an A-list director and letting them run with a story, and these creators have spun a tale of Hollywood sex and murder that will fascinate even those who are tired of the stories of Hollywood excess turning to bloody tragedy that are all too common in our modern world.
