*** (three of five stars)
Favorite Quote: "Uh. No Belgians. Don't let any Belgians say here. Ever." -- Kaine, asking for a reward that makes sense if you read the issue
Summary
A group of well-dressed men listen to another well-dressed man deliver a presentation on the Connell diamonds, worth an estimated $17 million. He informs the group that they are currently being held in a vault at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston for the next 48 hours and announces that they will be stealing them, something that he predicts will be a walk in the park given the low security at the hotel. Meanwhile, Kaine attempts to leave his room, but the door is blocked by Aracely. He swears at her and she demands that he put money in the swear job. Donald and Wally try to calm down Kaine, who declares that he tried the hero thing, but he's returning to Plan A and heading for Mexico. Kaine sways, announcing that he's not giving Aracely money and that he's going to need another drink. Donald suggests that he's had enough, since he can barely stand, and Kaine tells him that he'd be drinking, too, if he had seen what he saw. He begins to talk about the events of "Minimum Carnage" and alludes to his past ("You don't know what I've seen, you don't know who I am, you don't know anything") but loses consciousness. Donald asks how much he drank and Wally says that he only had three beers, commenting that he's a surprising light-weight for a big guy. Wally tells Donald that he has to talk to Kaine to convince him that the events of "Minimum Carnage" are not his fault. When Donald asks how Wally would feel if 23 people had died under his watch, Aracely interjects, saying that Wally feels angry, jealous, and sad. The conversation is interrupted by a representative from the Four Seasons, who tells them that Kaine has to leave his room since the Ambassador from Belgium had made a reservation at the Presidential Suite months earlier.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Annabelle appears to be arguing on the phone with a jealous ex-boyfriend (or current boyfriend) when a group of Santas burst into the hotel with guns. Upstairs, Wally worries that losing the hotel room is going to make it easier for Kaine to leave while Aracely plays with Kaine's mask, which she reveals can heal itself. Wally wonders how it could do that and realizes how little they know about Kaine. Aracely disagrees, saying that they know everything about him. The phone rings and Aracely informs them (without answering it) that it's Annabelle and she's scared; Donald answers it and confirms what Aracely sensed. Downstairs, one of the Santas grabs the manager, telling him to lead them to the vault. When he hesitates, the Santa grabs Annabelle, telling him that he'll shoot her if he doesn't bring them to the vault. Upstairs, Aracely tries to wake up Kaine by jumping on him while Donald and Wally argue: Donald wants to call the police, but Wally says that he needs to do something. Wally heads downstairs and Aracely bolts after him. Downstairs, the manager pretends that he can't open the vault and Annabelle yells at him, reminding him that she has a gun to her face and that the hotel is insured. She then turns to one of the Santas and tells him that she knows that the guest in the Presidential Suite is a guy with a lot of cash.
Upstairs, Donald is preparing Kaine coffee, trying to get him sober so he can help Annabelle. Kaine mutters to him that Annabelle needs to run, because he's a monster who's good only for killing. Downstairs, Wally observes the Santas but gets surprised by Aracely, who he tells to stay put. He attacks one Santa and then dives behind the front desk as the others open fire. One of the Santas radios the Santa with Annabelle, telling him that they've got a problem, but Annabelle's Santa tells him to handle it. Aracely then appears in front of the Santa and uses her power to do something to him, seemingly making him afraid, as Wally observes. In the Presidential Suite, Kaine tells Donald that his failure at the Galleria and NASA shows that he's not a hero, that he's only going for killing. Donald calls him an idiot, reminding him that he saved Aracely's life and his life and, according to Wally, the lives of everyone in Houston. He guesses that he also did good in Galveston and asks him how many more people would've been dead at the Galeria had Kaine not been there. He tells him that the person committing these acts isn't a monster to him, that Kaine's past is his past. He's a superhero now and, if he's rough around the edges, he's perfect for Houston. At that moment, the Santa bursts through the door with Annabelle, demanding a duffel bag full of cash. Donald asks if Kaine is sober yet and an angry Kaine goes to town on the Santa. He then emerges from the elevator on the ground floor, dressed as the Scarlet Spider, and takes out the rest of the Santas. The manager thanks Kaine profusely and asks what he can do for him. Aracely suggests that he tell him that no Belgians are ever allowed to stay at the hotel.
Later, Kaine and the others are gathered on the roof, looking over Houston. He narrates that he's lived a life of violence, but he now may have found a home full of people who care for him and about whom he cares. He decides, as a Christmas present to himself, that he's going to let himself believe that it can work and that he can be happy. Meanwhile, a letter for Kaine Parker arrives, but the Four Seasons representative from earlier tells the postman that no one under that name is registered at the hotel.
The Review
All right, I wasn't exactly a fan of the "Minimum Carnage" event. However, Yost does some pretty great stuff here dealing with the aftermath of it. Kaine is shaken from witnessing Carnage kill 23 people at the end of "Minimum Carnage" and we see the effect of that shock throughout the issue. With so many authors having their characters hardly take a moment to reflect on the horrors that they see every day, it was definitely a nice touch for Yost to use it as a vehicle for Kaine wondering whether he has it in him to be a hero.
The Really Good (aka a Rambling Meditation on the Supporting Characters)
I've mentioned previously how strong Kaine's supporting cast is, but Yost just keeps making them better and better. For example, I loved Aracely in this issue. Yost is playing up the mystery behind her powers, but he's also using them to provide greater insight into the characters, such as Aracely informing us that Wally is jealous of Kaine. Given that Wally does his best to protect people without powers, you could see where he'd be jealous over someone who had the ability to help all the more. Moreover, Aracely''s also proving to be excellent comic relief. In fact, Yost seems to be using her as a much more fun version of Valeria Richards. Just in this issue, she has light and dark moments, from insisting that Kaine put money in the swear jar to using her powers (whatever they may be) to take down one of the robbers.
However, it's Donald that expresses the thing that links all of them: their belief in Kaine. Yost makes sure that you see it in every interaction that the characters have with Kaine; for example, Annabelle directs the robber to the Presidential Suite, because she has faith that Kaine will save her. They all really do believe in him. But, here, that belief is put to the test by Kaine confessing to Donald that he's a murderer. It's not just a random confession, either. Yost has done a great job of having Kaine repress that confession, providing it only to the priest in issue #6. But, Yost makes it clear that the events of "Minimum Carnage" have shaken Kaine to his core, making him call into question his ability to be a hero not only because he failed to save 23 people but also because he himself had once been capable of that level of brutality. It's the moment of truth and, as good friends do, Donald intervenes right then. I'm not sure Wally would be so quick to look past it, but Donald reminds Kaine that he's now the hero in whom they all believe, who has saved countless lives (including his and Aracely's). Reilly Brown might not be Ryan Stegman or Kham Phoi, but he shines when he shows the emotion on Kaine's face as Donald tells him that he's not a monster. It's a beautiful moment and it clearly marks the moment that Kaine starts believing it and, in fact, the beginning of future of this series. I have no doubt that Kaine will continue to fight against his past, but Yost shows us here that it's not going to define him as much as it has, because he believes now that he can move past it.
In other words, most authors reduce supporting characters to damsels in distress and people who might eventually abandon the hero for any ethical lapses. Yost does exactly the opposite here and it makes this series all the better for it.
The Unknown
1) I thought it was odd that the robbers were a bunch of guys in expensive suits. I felt like I was supposed to recognize them as some sort of cabal, but I didn't. Normally, I don't associate bank robbers as the expensive-suit crowd, so I wonder if Yost is laying the groundwork for them to return in a future story.
2) I wonder why the letter to Kaine from Julia Carpenter had been opened...
The Bad
One of the weirder parts of this series is that I feel like Yost and the artists occasionally forget that Kaine is a clone of Peter Parker. Wally describes Kaine as a "big guy" and the various artists on this title have drawn him as such. But, at the end of the day, he's still genetically Peter. If he's bulkier, he's still got to be able to swing on those webs and float through the air, something that would be difficult to do if he were built like Captain America.
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