No/One #9 and #10

As ridiculous as it sounds, I decided to finish the "No/One" series after the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, because it feels like someone's going to make the connection between the shooting and the Accountability Killer and I didn't want the ending spoiled!

No/One #9:  Holy shit, this issue is taught.

At the Monroeville landfill, Ben is digging for Charity's body but can't find her.  (OMG, Charity is alive, isn't she?)  He calls Chuck, telling him to come to the landfill to show him the spot again, but Chuck says they've been out there five times and he knows that they buried her there.  He points out it was 12 years ago and tells Ben to stop calling him.

We then move onto the Pittsburgh Ledger's front page announcing that Prop 87 won, 53%-47%.  As expected, all hell breaks loose.  

Harper is on the phone with Singh and tells him that she's considering sending her daughter, Riley, to her dad's place in Virginia.  Singh suggests she keeps her home or take her to work, and Riley mutters, "Like I need that," before telling Riley to hurry so they can get to school.

In the back of her limo, Alanna holds firm with a producer that she won't have Kenneth Chbosky on her show.  The producer pushes back, noting Chbosky is the Prop 87's face, but Alanna isn't budging.  The producer tells Alanna to return to the studio as soon as possible because they need her for their Prop 87 coverage, but Alanna says she'll get there when she's good and ready.  Glowing, she tells her driver to take her for ice cream.  

At the Forbes Semple Garage, a security guard refuses to let in an employee because he doesn't have his passkey, and the employee tells him that his boss is waiting for the guard's boss to issue one since his passkey was stolen.  The guard says it isn't his problem and wants the employee to use the visitor's entrance.  The employee is furious and tells the guard that he's going to beat his ass next time.  After parking, the employee walks to the elevator and shouts, "Keep looking at me and see what happens!"  The guard then pulls a gun and shoots him. 

At the Allegheny Charter School, a mean girl threatens another girl, asking why a teacher asked her to come see her at lunch.  The mean girl tells the bullied girl that she told her what she'd do to her if she snitched, and the bullied girl tells her that she didn't do anything.  As a crowd of girls watch, the mean girl shoves the bullied girl into a stall, and the bullied girl starts to cry.  The mean girl then mocks her for crying, and the bullied girl pulls out a gun and shoots her off-panel.

On FOC, Alanna says that Pittsburg is seeing a welcome "tonal shift" and, though "we do not encourage violence on this network," an "early adjustment period is to be expected."  A separate reporter covers a "volatile crowd" gathered outside the garage, where pro-Prop 87 activists are demanding to know why the police took the shooter into custody.  Amidst various panels showing coverage of Prop 87, a conspiracy theorist podcaster claims the Kern family is somehow behind everything and a reporter notes the city has seen nine acts of violence related to Prop 87.

As the crowd outside the garage starts to riot, No/One notices a melee in an office and breaks through the glass to try to stop it.  Someone pulls out a gun and starts shooting.  No/One takes out the shooter and then takes off his mask - we only see the back of his head in shadows - as he watches the chaos on the streets below him.  

Meanwhile, Ben calls Julia and says that he's going to come get her because she needs to be somewhere safe, informing her that Senator Kemp is missing.

Surprising only Alanna, Chbosky appears at FOC in full combat gear to kill her.  He's already killed five people as he makes his way to her where she's hiding, shooting her assistant through the door.  Just before he can kill her, the SWAT team shoots him in the head.

At City Hospital, Singh arrives to see Harper, who's stunned that a 14 year old had a gun.  Singh informs her that her parents had the gun and that Riley had been bullying the girl who shot her for months.  Oof.

Julia runs to Ben's car as the riots have spread, and Ben says that he thought Chbosky was coming for her.  Julia tells him that her mom is OK and notes Gill and now Kemp are missing.  Ben loads his gun and says that it's "Aaron.  It's always been him."  Aaron returns to the Carrie Blast Furnaces as the issue ends.

I managed to make myself listen to the podcast before racing to the last issue to get the mystery solved, and I'm glad I did.  It's probably the best one.  

It starts by letting us know that it's three days after Prop 87 passed, and they've seen 14 deaths.  Julia interviews two people here:  her mother and Kate Harper.

Alanna is the stone cold bitch she always is, pedantically telling Julia that the world isn't a very nice place and we need to help the good guys.  She dismisses Chbosky as a nutjob, and Julia notes Prop 87 is giving nutjobs like Chbosky "further legal justification for murder."  Appalled that her mother thinks the answer is more violence, Julia ends the interview.

Next, we get a gut-wrenching interview with Harper.  (The actress does a phenomenal job here.)  Harper called Julia after Riley died, telling her that Julia's listeners need to hear what Prop 87 is doing to real people.  Harper says Riley grew up tough because her dad left a long time ago and Harper had to work a lot.  She acknowledges that she knew Riley could pick on other kids when she was stressed, but, very relatably, says she didn't know how to get through to a teenage girl.  Crying, she says Riley doesn't get to learn from this mistake because we're now punishing mistakes with death.  She says she doesn't want the other girl to suffer anymore either, because she's going to suffer enough with Riley's blood on her hands.  As Harper says, this girl paid for her mistake with death, too.

You guys, Kate Harper is the only hero here.

No/One #10:  OMG, what an ending!

The police have instated a curfew in Pittsburgh, which the National Guard is enforcing.  Senator Kemp's aides confirm they haven't seen him since he missed a fundraiser appearance on the eve of the Prop 87 vote.  The conspiracy theorist podcaster from last issue opens that Kemp is in cahoots with the "Kern crime family," noting Ben is also missing.

At the Ledger, Julia tells Teddy that she's concerned, since her mom is "a lot of things" but "off the grid" isn't one of them.  Her mom then calls, sounding distraught.  Alanna tells Julia that Julia was right and needs to come to the Blast Furnaces because she has information that she'll only share with Julia.  

When Julia arrives, Aaron meets her with a gun, telling her that he isn't going to hurt her and that her mom is safe.   Aaron is rambly as they walk to where he's leading Julia, telling her that corrupt people will "always find way to turn chaos and suffering into money" until "someone holds them accountable."  Telling Julia to get her phone ready, he leads her into a room.

In the room, No/One, Alanna, Ben, Noah, and Jack are tied to chairs.  Aaron ties up Julia and tells everyone that he wants to treat the following like a confessional, giving them "one last chance to unburden" themselves and "be held accountable."  He tells them that he's going to kill everyone but Julia, which is interesting, the idea that he doesn't view Julia as corrupt.  (She isn't, obviously, but it's interesting even Aaron sees her as the good guy.)  Julia is outraged, and Aaron tells her, "sorry your mother is one of them" but, says, hey, "my dad's here, too!"  (He's a real gem.)

Staring with "Uncle Jack," Aaron is outraged when Jack refuses to admit he shot the kid, so Aaron beats him with the .38 Special until he does.  Aaron asks Jack why he shot an unarmed kid, and Jack admits he did it because the kid flipped him off.  Aaron is furious that he made his dad into a conspirator and made him "carry it in his heart" all these years.  Jack stammers that, "we stuck together --," and Aaron shoots him, quipping, "Fuck your thin blue line."  Team Aaron on this one.

Second, he goes after Noah.  Aaron tells Noah that he doesn't understand how infuriating it is that he not only survived ("one of our first") but started the Prop 87 nonsense.  Noting Aaron said "we" (he actually said "our"), Kemp asks if he and No/One are working together.  Aaron says that they did, claiming that he gave No/One the idea.  Notably, No/One is gagged so can't dispute this assertion, though does mumble something.  

Aaron reminds us that he originally targeted Kemp because he stole taxpayer money and threw his chief of staff under the bus.  Kemp tries to reason with Aaron about Prop 87, noting that Aaron has assigned himself as judge, jury, and executioner whereas Kemp let the people decide.  (I mean, he isn't wrong.)  Aaron isn't buying it, saying Kemp co-opted his movement for personal gain.  (Aaron also isn't wrong.)  He's convinced Kemp isn't working from conviction or ideals and kills him.  I'm Team Kemp on this one.  Noah was slime, but I actually think he was trying to do the right thing while profiting from it.

We move onto Ben.  Ben tells Aaron he's just the "teary-eyed little boy who couldn't handle his brother cheating at a board game."  Aaron asks if Ben is trying to get a rise from him, and Ben, not unreasonably, is like, "You wanted honesty, there's your fucking honesty."  He tells Aaron his movement failed, and Aaron again implicates No/One, saying they were partners in crime until No/One decided he wanted to be the hero.  Deciding to give him a chance to save the day, Aaron cuts loose No/One bonds and No/One...runs away.  

Aaron chases him and we hear sounds of a scuffle.  Aaron returns with a bloody knife and says, "He never was the hero he pretended to be."  Aaron tells Ben that he needs to accept responsibility for creating monsters like Aaron.  Ben doesn't disagree, and Aaron thanks him for making it easy.  Telling him that he still loves him, Aaron is ready to shoot when No/One arrives with a smokescreen.  Aaron runs from the Furnaces with No/One in pursuit.  They struggle and then fall into the river.

In the aftermath, we learn that Harrison Gill was in the No/One costume but police didn't find Aaron's body.  As Julia cleans out her desk at the Ledger, Alanna thanks her viewers for their support on her first night back on air.  

Meanwhile, no one — I mean, no one — is buying that Gill was No/One.  Alejandro has started working with Danielle at the Edge and remind us that No/One saved him from Harrison Gill when he was acting as Copycat #3.  

Chief Mixon also says it's "trash," and Harper agrees.  But Mixon says that, in the interest of "moving on," the brass says they're going to stick with the idea that it was Gill since they're "up to our eyes in Prop 87 nightmares."  (I'm glad no one has learned a lesson or anything.)  Singh points out Gill stabbed Mixon, making it impossible for Roe to be No/One.  (I don't quite follow this assertion, since No/One wasn't on site when Gill stabbed Mixon, so it doesn't make it like the Alejandro situation.)  Harper then wonder aloud how any one of them are supposed to move on.  Oof.

At the Allegheny Cemetery, Ben tells Teddy that it's probably better to hope that Aaron is dead.  But he says that he's furious they want them all to move on (again that term) even after all the suffering.  Teddy notes that they don't have a choice, really, since all the leads are dead at this point.  That said, he hands Ben a photo, telling him that someone sent it to the podcast saying it was Charity and providing a name.  Ben takes the photo to Chuck who initially demures because it's been so long but then confirms it's her.

Later, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court strikes down Prop 87 as Ben and Julia talk on the phone.  Ben asks if Julia wants to go find Clarity's mother, who's still alive and lives outside Philadelphia.  Ben swears he can let it go if it turns out it isn't Charity, but he feels like he needs to try.  Julia tells Ben that she hopes to go cover some local sports somewhere, "something with clear winners and losers."  Ben notes that she's probably being optimistic that exists.

Meanwhile, apparently the podcast got J.C. promoted to the Ledger's executive editor.  A postman brings a box full of hard drives and SD cards to his office and tells him someone sent it to the podcast.  It includes a note:  "THE TRUTH.  I AM NO ONE."  We then end with "The Beginning...?"

Theories and Questions:  I've got a lot to discuss.

The Note:  First things first, the note that J.C. gets is a fiesta of clues.  The E in "THE" is Roe's E though the E in "ONE" is a regular E.  Since Gill claimed he was Richard Roe, the presence of the Roe E implies he was also No/One.  But he was also more than likely Copycat #3; in fact, Copycat #3 is really the only identity anyone seems comfortable assigning to Gill.  As such, we've got the possibility out here that Gill was Richard Roe, Copycat #3, and No/One.  Let's break it down.

Aaron & Gill and Richard Roe & Copycat #3:  Honestly, it's really unclear who Richard Roe was.  To the extent we have insight into that question, it revolves mostly on the question of the relationship between Aaron and Gill.

In issue #8, we learn Copycat #3 used the same .38 Special Richard Roe did.  Given the gun's connection to Aaron, it seems impossible that Aaron wasn't tied to the murders somehow.  We seem to have three options:  a) Aaron and No/One were behind the data drops and Gill took on the guise of Roe to get revenge; b) Gill was Roe and took out targets that Aaron directed him to hit; c) Aaron committed some or all of the Roe murders and Gill committed the remainder of the Roe murders (if Aaron didn't commit them all); or d) Aaron was Roe and Gill was Copycat #3.  In all four options, Gill is likely Copycat #3.  

It's possible Aaron and Gill didn't work together, as in option a, but, given the gun's connection to Aaron, it really seems unlikely.  (Gill had to know Aaron was behind the drops if he used the .38 Special.)  In options b and c, it's also possible Aaron was lying in the Furnaces when he implied he and No/One were behind the data drops and he really just started murdering the people No/One outed.  But it means we still don't really know who Richard Roe was, whether it was Aaron, Gill, or some combination of the two of them.  Again, the only thing we really know is that Gill was likely Copycat #3.

Aaron & Gill and No/One:  Upfront, I'll say the Aaron vs. No/One showdown inside the Furnaces felt wrong from the start.  It seemed unrealistic that:  a) Aaron managed to capture the real No/One so easily and b) the real No/One couldn't manage to break his bonds.  

Given Aaron's comments about working with "No/One" until he decided to be a hero, it seems more likely Aaron somehow got his hands on the No/One suit and put Gill in it.  Again, as Alejandro noted, if Gill was Copycat #3 and No/One saved Alejandro from Copycat #3 in issue #6, Gill can't be No/One.  

It really feels like the only thing we know about No/One definitively is that he isn't Gill, which is ironic, given he's the one they found in the suit.  I think it's still possible Aaron is No/One (particularly since he had access to the suit) though unlikely.  That leads us to the next section.

Aaron and Richard Roe & No/One:  Again, in the Furnaces, Aaron alleges that he and No/One worked together until he wanted to play a hero.  We know No/One was involved in the data drops, so it makes sense if he's connected to Aaron in this way.

However, we don't know if the project's goal, to Aaron's mind, was always to segue into the Accountability Killings and Richard Roe.  Also, as I mentioned, it's entirely possible Aaron is lying and No/One alone ran the data drops, with Aaron taking on the murders independently.  

Putting it all together, my guess is that Aaron and No/One worked on the data drops, Gill started killing people as Richard Roe, and the murders didn't bother Aaron, breaking up his partnership with the person who became No/One, who wanted to stop them.

After all, Aaron does shoot people in the face here.  I think this issue makes a late-in-the-game case for Aaron being as No/One, but I don't buy it.  It's hard to see even someone as delusional as Aaron also seeing himself as a hero, which No/One clearly does. 

Who Is Richard Roe?:  Again, to list the possibilities:  a) it's Gill indirectly taking orders from Aaron via the data drops; b) it's Gill directly taking orders from Aaron; c) it's Aaron and Gill; or d) it's Aaron and Gill takes up the mantle as Copycat #3.  If it isn't Aaron or Gill, I don't think we have enough information to know who it is.

Who Is No/One?:  Given Copycat #3 killed Donovan Kemp, our only suspects from the podcast's original list are Alejandro — who seems unlikely, given the events of issue #6 — and Harmon — who's probably still in the hospital with a gunshot wound.  

Moreover, the image we get of an unmasked No/One here also seems like a man, so I don't think it's Charity back form the dead, though I guess it's still possible.  Either way, it's still really unclear how Charity fits into this puzzle, since it seems more than just her connection to Coach Cade.

If I had to guess, No/One is Michael.  I still don't know if it was him in the Furnaces, but it makes sense that he and Aaron worked together on the project until they had a disagreement over its direction.  The two drawbacks to that theory are a) I don't see how he was so athletic and b) he's technically dead.  

Interestingly, I wrote this part before I listened to the podcast, where Julia and Teddy informs us that Harrison Gill was behind a Reddit account that a few months ago said Michael was No/One.  But, again, Michael is technically dead.

The only other possibility is that Chuck is No/One, since I'm still not sure why the Charity link is so important.  But Chuck didn't seem like the kind of guy with the necessary direction and focus to serve as No/One.

Other Mysteries:  I'll point out two other issues that we never really resolve.

We never really return to the question of why Copycat #3 killed the No/One candidates.  If Copycat #3 was Gill, he saw himself as getting revenge against the corrupt.  Why kill the heroes?  Was he just afraid they'd catch him?

We've never really focused at all on Copycats #1 and #2.  Maybe they're just background noise, but it's interesting that no one seems to care about their connections to the case.

Final Thoughts:  This series was great. The multimedia aspect was novel and really worked, and I really hope they manage to make the movie.  If there's a Kickstarter, I'll definitely contribute!  Particularly after the UnitedHealthcare CEO's murder, I'd recommend this series to anyone who wants a really thoughtful meditation on the role of violence in our society.

Eight-Month-Old Comics!: The March 13 Top-Shelf Edition - Part One (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Napalm Lullaby #1:  I love Rick Remender, but, oof, this issue is a lot, even for me.

A couple named Paul and Brenda are leading a rally in Norfolk, Nebraska.  Around sunset, they send the participants home and themselves head home in their pickup truck.  Given the cross hanging in the truck's rear-view mirror, it seems like Brenda is talking about God and/or Jesus when she tells Paul that they need to enforce "his" will.  Before they can finish that discussion, however, a light appears, and they crash into a tree.  

From a portal, a leonine robot emerges with futuristic troops in pursuit.  After the troops take down the robot, one of them refers to it as the "last of the Mechawombs."  They open the robot and discover a baby in a nest, Kal-El style, inside its chest cavity; they then argue over who's going to kill the baby.  Before they can, the baby's glowing eyes explode, eliminating the troops.  Paul and Brenda approach the baby and bring it into their car, with Paul telling Brenda that "he" heard her prayers.  As Brenda cuddles the baby, she says that "he" answered them, and we learn that "he" is an entity named "Glokor." 

Fifty years later, a brute that looks like the X-Men's Caliban murders three priests and steals the halos that hover over their heads.  As he walks through a slum, a beggar on "pilgrimage to the Crystal Temple" asks him for "protein."  A man at Old Nan's Funhouse calls him "Hork the Penniless," and Hork passes the wheelchair-ridden Nan on his way to a room.

He enters an Olympus-inspired garden, where a woman named Rose meets him.  Hork warns Rose about entering (presumably the Palace) with "dead priest haloports," predicting she'll be in one of the "straightening camps" by morning.  Agreeing that a deal is a deal, Rose strips down and begins to have sex with him, but the hologram is interrupted when someone pounds on the door.

It becomes clear that Hork and Rose are in cyberspace as the man banging on the door in reality enters the room.   The man wears a habuki-inspired mask, and Rose later calls him Sam.  Rose herself is dressed in black and white, with an all-black visor.  She warns Sam that he can't wake her like so abruptly, and Sam says that he couldn't "feel" Hork's lust any longer.  Hork pulls a knife to attack Rose, and Sam launches a pick-like object into Hork's head, mortally wounding him.  (He was aiming for his arm.). However, Sam is emotionally connected to Hork as he slowly dies, and, calling Rose "Sarah," asks her to sedate him.  Sarah is furious at him, since they're low on sedatives, but complies.

At that point, Nan and the doorman enter, and she orders the doorman to swipe the haloports.  Sarah asks Sam for the pen that dispenses the sedatives as they flee the doorman, who corners them quickly.  Sam offers him the haloports, but the doorman stomps Sam's head instead.  Sarah leaps for the gun that fires the pick-like objects, but the doorman breaks her back over his knee before she can grab it.  The doorman returns to Nan's and gives her the bag with the haloports, and she exposits that she'll finally make the pilgrimage with them.

Meanwhile, Sam and Sarah are alive, escaping on a motorcycle with a sidecar.  If I'm following correctly, the sedative they used while fleeing the doorman allowed Sarah to create the illusion that the doorman killed them and swiped the haloports, so they're trying to escape before he and Nan realize the truth, that they still have them.  Sarah is concerned that they only have one dose of sedative left, but sam tells them that it doesn't matter since the gates are only open a little while longer.  As Bandal gives us a view of the city, full with the spectacular Palace and smaller gates, Sam opines, "How do you prepare to kill a god?"

Having just read "Mistborn:  The Final Empire," I'm guessing that we're facing a similar story, particularly given Remender's backmatter treatise.  However, Remember doesn't quite deliver the same excitement as he did in "The Sacrificers" #1.  Although we were also dropped in media res in that issue, the emotions that Pigeon and his family felt about his impending sacrifice grabbed you by the lapels.  Here, we're given little insight into any of the characters, watching them mostly responding to external events.  I'm happy to hang in here, but I think we need some better focus in the next few issues to make this story as gripping as Remender's other series.

No/One #8:  At this point, I'm hard pressed to see how Higgins and Buccellato are going to wrap up this story in two issues, given it just got even more complicated.

Three weeks after Gill slipping capture, the cops still can't find him.  Chief Mixon correctly points out Gill was working service industry jobs and likely didn't have the resources to evade capture this long without help.  Before the meeting adjourns, Singh tells Mixon the Ledger "has the story" about the .38 Special; Mixon thanks Singh for the heads-up and comments that he'll warn Ben.

At a coffee shop, Teddy approaches Julia to tell her that he meant what he said on the podcast — about how he hadn't intended to hang out Julia to dry but acknowledges that he did so all the same.  Julia thanks him, but, before they discuss the podcast, their phones buzz.  At Ledger HQ, they learn Ben Kern's training officer, Jack Sherman, used the .38 Special 35 years earlier to shoot and kill a kid named Daryl Graves.  In the series of news clips that fill the next two pages, Graves' parents say their son never owned a gun and a salesman says he sold Sherman the gun.

Later, at a diner, Sherman meets Ben and leaps across the table to make sure he wasn't wearing a wire.  Sherman accuses Ben of telling people what they did, and Ben says he only ever told his wife.  Sherman wisely notes Aaron could've overheard him, and Ben tells Sherman he accepts the consequences for their actions, namely that Sherman shot an unarmed kid and they lied about it.  Meanwhile, outside the diner, the Weiss Macht Brotherhood (WMB) are preparing to go after Ben.  (They're also demanding the authorities nullify the convictions they won based on Ben's infiltration of the group.)  Of course, Chobsky is with them.

Despite how badly it ended with Ben, Sherman calls him to warn him the WMD is outside the diner.  Revealing he's holding a gun, Ben tells Sherman that he plans to face them.  (At Major Crimes, Singh gets a call — likely from Sherman — that the WMB have pinned down Ben.)  As the WMB approaches Ben, No/One arrives and knocks off a guy on a motorcycle charging at Ben.  Ben jumps in No/One's car, and No/One berates him while evading the pursuing WMB bikers.  Ben swears he's already dead, and No/One tells him to find purpose in finding someone who needs help, saying, "You of all people should know that!"

Two days later, Ben calls Julia and promises to tell her everything about the gun.  First, though, he goes to Chuck's and tells him to tell him everything he remembers about Clarity because, in his words, he needs to know "if there's someone still waiting for her to come home."

OK, let's get down to brass tacks.

First, as Julia notes, both Harrison Gill and Aaron Kern used the .38 Special.  In his conversation with Sherman, Ben hypothesizes that either Aaron and Gill were working together or Gill got his hands on the gun somehow after the cops arrest Aaron.  In other words, it underscores that we really have no one what connections exist among the Accountability Killer(s), including the two Copycats we never mention.

Second, Ben's visit to Chuck implies that he thinks that the Clarity connection is more important than we've seen so far.  That makes sense, though you have to wonder why the Killer(s) didn't go after Coach Cade first in that case.  That said, given the (s) at the end of Killer(s), it isn't clear which killer might have the connection.  Is it Aaron?  Is it Harrison?  Is it one of the two Copycats?  Is it No/One?  It's possible that No/One's motivation for exposing corruption was the fact he knew people covered up Charity's death.  Or did Aaron or Gill or the Copycats get involved because they have a connection to Charity that we haven't yet seen?

Third, we still don't even have a hint about No/One's connection to the Killer(s).  All we know is that No/One started the campaign with his data drops but isn't (in theory) responsible for the Killer(s) starting to off people.  I think we're supposed to believe that No/One adopted his costumed identity to take responsibility for his actions.  In other words, he was initially content with the drops but took on the identity to stop the Killers from reverting his work.  But I don't think Higgins and Buccellato have even made that clear.

Finally, it's getting to hard to believe there is a connection here.  I'm worried it's going to feel hand-wavy at the end, like all the "victims" were members of the same BDSM club or something.

The podcast doesn't really shed much more light on the issue other than Ben publicly confirming that Sherman shot the kid, which Sherman denies in a preemptive press conference.  (I was figuring he was going to pin blame on Ben, which he doesn't here though may later.)  Notably, Julia is on the podcast, so we're all friends again, it seems.

In other words, as I said before, we have a lot to go with only two issues left.

The One Hand #2:  It's apparently murder mystery week this week!

The issue opens with Ari visiting an informant, Juice, after he (Juice) witnessed a murder.  Juice tells Ari that he watched some clubbers beat up a kid and douse him with paint thinner.  When the kid shut down completely, they got annoyed and set him on fire.  Juice can't get over the fact the kid just stood there and let them burn him alive; as Ari is leaving, Juice reveals the kid kept saying, over and over again, "Can't get out."

At the precinct, Ari is upset when the person answering the phone at the brothel doesn't know who Nemone is.  He ends the call, and Mac approaches his desk.  Mac tells Ari the Department has "the new guy from crypto" working on the cipher, though Ari views it as a waste of time.  As they're leaving the precinct to interview last issue's victim's next of kin, Ari is served papers as the District Attorney is reviewing his conviction of the previous One Hand Killer.

At the victim's house, the victim's wife is somewhat ambivalent about his death, telling the detectives that he was an unremarkable man who you could forget was there.  She explains she only went on a date with him because she spilled a drink on him.  Ari looks around the room and sees one of the ciphers in the way a set of photos are arranged.  (It's unclear if we're supposed to conclude the Killer actually uses items close to the victims as inspiration for the ciphers or if Ari just sees the case everywhere.)  

As Ari and Mac are leaving, Ari asks the widow if she loved the victim.  She slams the door in their faces.  Mac is annoyed at Ari, but Ari makes the point the Killer might  be targeting the people who live in the gaps in society.

Along those lines, Ari heads to the brothel, and the maintenance guy tells him they overhauled the operation the previous day.  He brings Ari to storage, but Ari doesn't find Nemone there.  Instead, he finds flyers for a lady who runs a gallery and comes to the brothel for parts.

Ari heads to the Marker-Vaugn Art Gallery, where a decadent party is in full swing.  A drunk man accosts Ari after he recognizes him from the papers, and Ari starts to leave but notices a faceless person in the crowd seemingly with a sixth finger.  Ari tries to follow him, but security has him to leave since he's causing a disturbance.  When he exits the building, the skyline is green, the result of a chemical truck that overturned.  He returns a call from Mac who informs him they have another case.  Mac comments that he feels like he stepped into a "murder room" as a rookie and "can't get out."

I'm definitely down with Ram V is going here.  Plenty of cop stories deal with people on the margins, since they're easy victims.  But it feels like Ram V is making the point that more of us are in those gaps than we think, that really only the movers and shakers matter.  I'm not sure how that's going to play into the mystery, but it feels relevant at this point.

Also Read:  Star Wars:  Darth Vader #44

Seven-Month-Old Comics: The December 27 Top-Shelf Edition - Part One (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Alan Scott:  Green Lantern #3:  This issue is somewhat hard to follow, since it's hard to tell which corpse is which corpse, given they're all in a similar state and Alan definitely has a type.

Alan arrives at a pier where gays cruise and tells Mikey, one of the regulars, that he's looking for someone.  (I bet he is.)  Mikey tells Alan that Tommy, another regular, drowned and others "ain't been around."  Mikey notes that Tommy was wearing combats boots when he died, but, before Alan can learn more, the cops arrive, and Alan uses his powers to disappear.

(I'll say here that it's a confusing start to the issue, as it really isn't clear why Alan was initially at the pier.  After reading this sequence a few times, I'm pretty sure Alan was going to have sex with Tommy, since he mentions that he and Tommy hooked up every once in a while.  Initially, though, I thought he was just there looking for information about Robbie's death, but I don't think that's true.)

At any rate, Alan decides to find out more about Tommy's death.  At the morgue, the Flash exposits that Tommy also has burns on his wrists and ankles, like Robbie did.  The Flash alludes to the fact that the case is personal to Alan, and Alan looses his shit at the implication that he's gay.  The Flash doesn't directly address Alan's sexuality but instead repeats something Alan previously said, that, "There is no society without justice...for all."  He then informs Alan that the Justice Society of America (JSA) has already dispatched the Spectre to look into Tommy's case.

(Again, the revelation that the JSA is working on Tommy's case is weird, for a number of reasons.  First, I assume the JSA learned about Tommy's death from Alan, so I don't get why they're keeping information form him, even if they're worried he's too emotionally connected to the case.  Second, it doesn't seem like that much time passed between when Tommy died and Flash and Green Lantern are in the morgue.  Can't they wait for the NYPD to investigate?  Are they investigating every missing person case in New York?)

In an alley, Alan finds the Spectre, who digs his fingers into the head of a guy whose girlfriend is a file clerk in the precinct and tells him about all the cases that cross her desk.  (It turns out he's dating her to pass on the information to his boss, Don Rocco Santucci.)  Learning that Tommy's file is in the nearby precinct, Alan and the Spectre head to the file room there.  They discover the file empty, and Alan notes it's in the wrong precinct, given where Tommy died.  

(Again, I had some issues here.  I get the Spectre is looking into Tommy's death, but why go to Santucci's guy instead of the file clerk herself?  The Spectre comments that he'd been chasing boyfriends all day, so was he shaking down the boyfriends of every record clerk in every precinct in New York?  Is every file clerk in New York dating a mob guy who the Spectre feels more comfortable shaking down than the clerks themselves?)

As a cop, the Spectre notes that the best way to bury a file is not to create one in the first place.  He hypothesizes someone created the empty file to point the finger at Alan, since he can walk through walls and the file contained compromising material about him (i.e., a file existed but Alan expunged the information, and anyone who read the file would guess it was him).  (This part also doesn't really make sense, since it isn't like people who knew Alan was gay knew the Green Lantern was Alan, except for J. Edgar.)  Alan informs the Spectre that Robbie and Tommy displayed the same wounds as Johnny.  

Alan feels the weight of all three deaths on his shoulders, and the Spectre delivers a speech about how God reserves his retribution for people who judge and hate people like Robbie and Tommy and Alan.  A grieving Alan hugs the Spectre, who comforts him, telling him that he doesn't deserve divine punishment because he puts on the ring and cape and tries to do good.  He then echoes something Johnny said in issue #1, that, "If God himself didn't want you to love - then how could you?"  It's a little too speechy to be moving, I'll be honest.

At any rate, the Spectre says that they need to find the 42 men who served on Project Crimson, prompting Alan to remark, "Forty-one."  Recalling that the "voice" said it brings death, life, and then power, Alan heads home.  Before he arrives, we have an interlude where Doiby is listening to a broadcast discussing how a Soviet submarine went missing off Greenland's coast.  Upon entering his study, Alan encounters the Red Lantern and calls him, "Johnny."  Johnny punches him and then speaks to him in Russian, ending with, "My love."

Although an awkward issue, I'm hoping Sheridan just needed to cut some corners to move us to this next stage, one that seems to have a lot of potential.  Are we going Winter Soldier here?  Or was Johnny always a Soviet agent?  Poor Alan.

Duke #1:  Holy shit, this issue is great.  I was excited about Skybound taking over these characters because I expected them to do a great job, but we're exceeding even my high expectations.

In my review of "G.I. Joe:  A Real American Hero" #302, I noted that series has so far lagged behind "Transformers" and "Void Rivals" in terms of the larger "Energon Universe" story.  That said, we hit the ground running on that larger story here, as Hawk tells a broken Duke to pull himself together.  Instead of snapping to attention, Duke essentially tells Hawk to go fuck himself after Hawk refuses to acknowledge the military is lying to him about Starscream killing Frosting in "Transformers" #1.  Speaking about Frosting's family (including his baby boy), Duke vows to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Six months later, a disheveled Duke arrives at a townhouse with a bunch of UFO enthusiasts.  Their conversations disturb him, though some people are clearly speaking about seeing the Transformers (and others...not so much).  Before Duke can leave, Dr. Adele Burkhart introduces herself.  Telling Duke that it's easier to hide the truth among the ridiculous, she brings him to her office.  She tells him that she invited him to the meeting because she used to work on a project to use the Big Bang's cosmic dust as a renewable energy source.  At some point, though, she began to question the project's direction.  The project was allegedly put on ice, but Burkhart is worried that someone is using her research to create the next doomsday weapon.  She sends Duke to M.A.R.S. Industries, which I should've recognized earlier is Destro's company.

Duke manages to break into M.A.R.S. and sees an assembly line of robots.  Duke clearly thinks these robots are the Transformers, but before he can gather more information a Colossus-looking dude named Mercer grabs him.  Mercer wants to off him, but Destro orders him to release Duke.  Destro is disturbed that Destro let him free and heads to Burkhart's, where he discovers someone has killed the enthusiasts and left Burkhart for dead.  She hands Duke something before the police arrive on the scene, clearly sent by Destro so Duke would take the fall for the deaths.

Elsewhere, Hawk gets orders to bring in Duke, which Cover Girl tells him is going to be tough.  He responds that he knows, which is why he's going to assign the job to Stalker and Rock 'n Roll.

Again, it's great stuff here.  Given what we're seeing in "Transformers," it seems ridiculous the government would try to cover up the destruction the Decepticons have already wrought.  But I love the idea of a rogue Duke, so I'm excited to see where we go. 

Local Man #8:  Jack uses his new powers of emotional perception, if you will, to convince Kopecki to run Inga's warehouse's property record.  After Jack has sex with Inga outside the quarry (we learn they first met there when Jack was busting kids doing drugs), Kopecki calls him to say the LLC is anonymous but is registered to Brian and Inga's house.  After encountering Seascape, Brian (for some reason) also heads to the quarry, and Jack accuses him of being the one storing 4th Gen.  Seascape appears again before they can fight each other, and Jack realizes that it's Inga and not Brian behind the warehouse.  Dun-dun-dun!

No/One #7:  This issue moves more expeditiously than previous ones, as Higgins and Buccellato take this story to the next stage.

First things first, Ben meets with his friend, Sherm, who asks if he really has the guts to kill his son for the crimes Ben is convinced Aaron committed.  Meanwhile, at Julia's apartment, Danielle knocks on her door and apologizes for the article she wrote about her mom.  Julia isn't buying it, but Danielle continues, expressing outrage over what the Ledger assholes did to her.  Julia opens her door to scream at Danielle, but she's surprised when Danielle hands over all the work the police have done on Copycat #3.  (I'm not sure how Danielle got that, which I'm guessing is relevant.  Is Danielle No/One?)

At Aaron's apartment, Ben arrives with a gun, and Aaron encourages him to kill him if it'll make him feel better.  Ben tells Aaron not to put his (Aaron's) imminent death on him (Ben) and once again implies that his bad parenting is responsible.  Aaron has to break it to him that his actions weren't about Ben.  (Seriously, Ben, it's time for therapy.)  Aaron doubts that Ben has the guts to pull the trigger, but the gun fires, either because Ben did pull the trigger or No/One startled him from behind.  No/One tells Ben they need to take down Aaron the right way, and he and Ben leave.

That night, Julia arrives at Ben's house with the files.  As they work, Noah Kemp is on Alana's show ranting about how someone needs to hold the podcast reporters accountable for getting his brother killed.  Not unreasonably, Alana asks whether he's suggesting Donovan should've preemptively attacked the journalists in question, if his (Noah's) preemptive defense law had been in effect.  Noah says that he's not suggesting that...but then rambles about how it's "unamerican" to put people in a position "with no options."  (So what are the options, Noah?  How do you engage in preemptive defense without killing someone?)

Suddenly, Julia has an inspiration that lead her and Ben to conclude that Copycat #3 is Harrison Gill.   He was a "disgruntled employee of P3" whom the police interviewed after Tobias North's murder but didn't consider a suspect.  But, in reviewing the Cade case, Julia realizes that Chuck spilled the beans about Cade to his bartender — Harrison Gill.

Ben arrives at the bar, and Gill greets him calling him "Ben" instead of "Jim."  Gill notices Singh outside and Harper inside and tells Ben that he has to change the keg.  Singh texts McGarrity, who's covering the back exit.  McGarrity tries to stop him, but Gill stabs him.  McGarrity surveys and tells the others, as they arrive on the scene, that Gill was heading to a car.  Gill manages to escape, but Harper finds the Richard Roe mask and gun in Gill's glove compartment.

It seems pretty clear that Gill is Copycat #3, though I'm confused how Ben didn't make that connection earlier.  It's nice to have one question answered here, though we still don't know if Gill was Richard Roe (as he claimed) and either as Copycat #3 or Roe he worked alone.

The podcast doesn't really expand on the story too much, particularly since it mostly just replays Noah's conversation with Alanna.  

The most interesting revelations are conformation that Gill's gun is the same one used in the Copycat #3 murders and that Gill was friends with two of the employees who Tobias North threw under the bus and who both later committed suicide.  

The podcast doesn't address No/One's identity, but Ben confirms that he still thinks Aaron is Richard Roe (and not Gill, as he claimed he was).

For the fact that we've gone this long without answers to basic questions, I'll say that I'm not as antsy as I usually am.  Higgins and Buccellato are doing a fantastic job in terms of the pacing, making you really uncertain about facts that you think you know.  It's really one of my must-reads right now.

Eight-Month-Old Comics!: The November 1 Top-Shelf Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

No/One #6:  Honestly, if No/One hadn't saved Julia last episode, I'd think she was No/One at this point.

After all, we learn here that No/One isn't any of the three suspects The Drop named last issue, because Copycat #3 shoots Harmon, kills Kemp, and attacks Alejandro.  

In other words, it's a lot.

The issue begins at PPD HQ, where Ben is trying to convince McGarrity to give him a couple of men to surveil Aaron because he can't keep him under 24/7 watch by himself.  McGarrity declines because it's too political, which seems bullshit to me, particularly for a guy who was so eager to nail Aaron to the wall.  Frustrated, Ben talks to Harper and Singh, who tell him they have no evidence connecting Aaron to his lawyer's murder.  Suddenly, a cop interrupts, and we learn Copycat #3 shot Harmon.

At the Ledger, Teddy finds Julia trying to get in touch with Donovan Kemp and Alejandro, though Teddy assures her that he's already spoken with people about getting them protection.  Ben arrives and asks why they named Vince a suspect, and Teddy is a dick to him, saying that he doesn't have time to hold his hand.  Ben insists Aaron could've been the shooter, revealing that he's tailed Aaron for weeks but lost him the previous day.

At Noah Kemp's office, his staff are trying to convince him to pull his proposed legislation authorizing "preemptive" self-defense.  One of the staffers, though, shows everyone a clip from Alaina Page's show.  (Her show starts with this introduction:  "Welcome back to the Wall.  Reporting from the parapets, I'm Alaina Page."  Amazing.)  Page comes out swinging for Kemp's bill and then crucifies Kenneth Chbosky, whom FOC hired as a contributor.  (The live reenactment of their fight on the podcast is worth a listen.)  Suddenly, someone interrupts Kemp's meeting to inform him what we learn on the next page, that someone killed Donovan.

With two suspects dead, fucking JC arrives to "touch base" with Julia.  She asks where Alejandro is, and JC admits they can't find him.  She loses her shit on Teddy and JC, who has the audacity to tell her to relax.  She quits.

At Alejandro's gym, Copycat #3 is ready to kill Alejandro when No/One arrives.  No/One tells Alejandro to run, which he does, but he then returns.  He finds the gym in shambles and a wounded No/One.  Alejandro brings No/One to No/One's car and drives from the scene as cops arrive.  No/One loses consciousness, and Alejandro may, or may not, have gotten a look under the helmet.  No/One tells Alejandro to leave, which he does.

On the podcast, the only new revelation is that Harmon survived the shooting and confirmed the assailant used a .38 Special, which means it's Richard Roe and, as such, not Aaron Kern (allegedly).  Of note, Alejandro doesn't admit to the press that No/One got shot.  To me, the most important part is Noah Kemp's tear-filled rant about how the vultures in the press - i.e., Julia and Teddy - are responsible for his little brother's murder.  It's important, because it reminds us that we're dealing with (in this world) real people and the body count is pretty insane right now.  In addition, Patton Oswalt does a great job of walking through Teddy's grief over how his failure to say no to the Ledger's Powers That Be resulted in Julia getting blamed for Copycat #3's attacks on Harmon, Donovan Kemp, and Alejandro.

Honestly, I have no idea where we go from here, which is awesome.

The Sacrificers #4:  This issue is more linear than Remender's usual ones.

Pigeon's grief-stricken parents are sitting quietly as the village - including their other children - celebrates around them.  Pigeon's sister asks her father why he's sad, which makes sense given he always told her Pigeon was going to a better place.  The father later gets drunk and rants at his fellow villagers, asking why they celebrate the loss of a child and demanding to know what the gods sacrifice.  It's devastating.

Meanwhile, in Rokos' palace, the Foreman tells Rokos that the blue liquid is his finest work, brewed from a new recipe.  (Uh-oh.)  Rokos ignores him and asserts that it's the same recipe it's also been when he addresses the "Lords of Harlos."  Notably, he claims he made the liquid and invites the other Lords to partake of it, delivering the same pablum that they've earned it for keeping the world "perfect."  He invites a toast to Luna who "lives apart from [them] to balance [his] light with night."  Luna refuses the liquid, decrying the Lords as parasites feasting on innocents' blood and smashing her glass to the floor.  (Team Luna, obviously.)

After Luna leaves, Rokos ridicules her for "crumbling in her gray land of pious dust."  He and the rest of the Lords drink the liquid, instantly becoming younger, to Soluna's horror.  Fueling the implication the Foreman did something to the liquid, he departs in a rush, and Soluna follows him on Rokos' flying carpet, taking Rokos' sword with her.  Again, uh-oh.

The Space Between #1:  Bechko and Luckert present an interesting premise here, as we meet the inhabitants of the Dodona, an asteroid-cum-starship taking Earth's remaining humans (and some animals) to a new planet after Earth's destruction.

We begin with Revla, a pilot, saving another pilot from crashing into the Dodona despite her commander's order not to do so.  Revla exposits that it doesn't matter if the Dodona's brass court-martial her, since they're set to "pair" her soon and she doesn't think they'll let her fly pregnant.  

For her actions, "they" put her in confinement, but she escapes below the "starline," which refers to line on the Dodona below which you can no longer see the stars.  Now below decks, Revla meets Les, one of the workers who maintain the algae the Dodona uses for food and oxygen.  Like Rose in "Titanic," Revla is stunned to see the number of people living below the line, making it clear the two sides of the line don't mix.

Also like "Titanic," the glimpses we see of the inhabitants above the line (i.e., the pilot class) show a brutal society of competitors whereas the workers below the line (i.e., the maintenance class) live in a communist Utopia.  For example, Revla is worried Les is going to turn her into the authorities for a reward, and he breaks it to her that they don't have credits below the line.

Les introduces Revla to his "purposive" June and her partner Neve who asks whether it's really true that the inhabitants above the line are nothing but breeding pairs.  Revla makes a half-hearted attempt to defend her culture as fighting for the future, and Neve asks why everyone is sacrificing for a future on a round rock instead of the present on an oblong one?  Fair enough, Neve.

Les figures out a way to get Revla topside, and she brings him with her to see the stars, which he admits his parents and grandparents likely never saw.  (Ah, inequality.  It's baked into us.)  The pair kiss, but suddenly guards appear and seize them.  As a crowd "'casts" (i.e., broadcasts) their arrest, someone comments how they didn't even know the workers were real.  

Revla now realizes the Dodona's leadership has put in place restrictions well beyond the original "Edicts" establishing, "To every passenger, a duty."  She 'casts a message to this effect, which starts an uprising below the line.  Les helps when a reporter interviews him and talks about saving the most beautiful woman alive when she fell from the stars.

We then move briskly through four years, as the ongoing uprising forces the Council to listen.  After four years, they release Les from prison.  He brings June and Neve with their new baby, which they can now have, to see the stars with Revla flying amongst them.

As I said, it's an interesting premise.  The execution is also pretty solid, so I'm intrigued to see where it goes.

Star Wars #40:  Oof.  This issue is excessively talky.  

We go on deep dives into Lando's psyche, but the issue is really just about him returning to Home One to convince Leia to send a small strike force (him, her, Chewie, and Luke) to Epikonia to free Lobot.  (Lando knows Lobot is on Epikonia because he has a tracker on him.)  Lando doesn't mention the fact that he has the Talky to Leia, so I wonder where he stashed him?  Is he stupid enough to bring him on the Falcon with him?  Probably.

The only real action, though, is a strange sequence where Lando turns off the Falcon's navicomputer because a droid core runs it and crashes into a cluster of communications arrays to slow down the Falcon enough to land.  Can he really not control the Falcon without the navicomputer?

Nine-Month-Old Comics!: The August 23 Top-Shelf Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Blade Runner 2039 #6:  We're now halfway through the series so we're still in the phase where we're accruing mysteries not solving them.

Cleo hangs on long enough for Lexi to find someone who can help, and it turns out he's a Replicant.  He examines Cleo and informs Ash the bullet went right through her and missed any organs.  Ash decides Lexi is going to stay with Cleo while she (Ash) heads to San Francisco.  The Replicant quips that he thoughts they were insane enough traveling through the Central Valley but they must be suicidal if they're going to San Francisco.  Ash thinks they're all settled when the Replicant pulls a gun on her, saying that she once dismissed him as spare parts.  I don't recognize him, but I figure this incident happened before or during the first series if Ash was speaking about Replicants that way.  He notes that he's one of the models that lived beyond their expiration date, so we'll see where this confrontation goes.

Meanwhile, Rash immediately proves herself a better detective than Luv, who seems dimmer by the day.  After realizing the blind guy at the pier isn't going to tell them the truth about the spinner crash from a few days earlier, the pair visit Mr. Hollis, one of Selwyn's scientists, to learn more about Isobel.  He's visibly rattled, so Rash knows they're barking up the right tree.  Hythe appears then, as she figured they'd go after Selwyn's people, and commits to killing Wallace since it's the only way she'll be free.  Again, Luv is incompetent, and Rash manages to "retire" Hythe, a sad moment given how far she'd come.  Rash tells Hollis they'll give him a moment to pull himself together before asking about Isobel.  Dun-dun-DUN.

I'm going to guess we're all going to converge in San Francisco next issue.

No/One #5:  This issue gets meta quickly, as much of the drama revolves around the podcast Julia and Teddy run.

Of course, it isn't all the drama, as Aaron recants his confession.  As Teddy exposits in an editorial meeting, the confession is really all the district attorney had on Aaron:  Richard Roe is out there committing murders with the actual murder weapon, and No/One is the one who "caught" Aaron in the Carrie Blast Furnaces.  Without the confession, the PPD doesn't have anything linking Aaron to the crimes directly.  Ben learns about Aaron's change of heart when Vince visits him, and he's furious, particularly when Vince asks if he told Aaron just how circumstantial the case against him was.  Ben charges into the prison, but Aaron refuses to see him.

But the podcast drama takes center stage with a "The Wire"-esque feel.  In the editorial meeting, JC suggests they name Aaron a potential candidate as No/One, which Julia notes makes zero sense.  JC suggests they "get creative;" Julia notes it isn't season 17 of "Law and Order."  Frustrated, JC orders Julia and Teddy to discuss No/One's identity in the next podcast.  Eager to please, Alejandro suggests Michael as a candidate, since apparently Ben identified his body from photos and not the body itself.  (Alejandro admits he got the theory from Reddit.)  Julia is pissed about JC's mandate, but Teddy tells her to get off her high horse and either quit or accept her job is to do what people like JC tell her to do.  Julia realizes he's right, so I may actually look forward to the next podcast.

At the prison, Aaron's high powered lawyer, Roger Dennehy, predicts he'll have him free by the end of the month.  As Dennehy drives home, No/One pops one of his tires and informs him that he's got to keep Aaron in jail because he's guilty.  No/One threatens to expose Denney's "criminal enterprise:"  compromising witnesses, buying jurists, etc.  Later, No/One breaks into Dennehy's offices and takes out his goons in short order.  It's a Batman-esque tour de force, making it clear that No/One isn't just relying on the suit to protect him; dude has skills.

The issue ends with the DA dropping the charges against Aaron and him leaving prison.  Julia's mother pins it on Aaron's relationship to his dad, who is loading up a gun in the issue's last panel. 

Before getting to the podcast, I'll note that it's interesting No/One is so convinced of Aaron's guilt.  It definitely implies a connection between Aaron and No/One before Aaron (allegedly) became Richard Roe and whoever No/One is became No/One.

Turning to the podcast, Julia and Teddy do what JC demanded and go through the potential candidates as No/One:  Donovan Kemp, Vince Harmon, and Alejandro Rios!  

The most interesting revelation is that Donovan Kemp is a former "local two-sport legend in basketball and football."  If his progressive activism gave him the motive, his athleticism gave him the ability.  To that point, I wasn't surprised that Vince is a suspect, particularly when we learn he was an Army Ranger before he became a cop.  I hadn't thought about it, but they're right that Alejandro Rios also fits the profile, given he's a gym nut (which we saw in a conversation between him and Julia in a gym) and a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu.  Alejandro is also apparently under some form of police investigation.

Despite the fact JC and Teddy demanded Julia engage in this discussion, Julia realizes they're uncomfortable with it and uses it as a form of revenge against them.  She goes on a tirade about how irresponsible this brand of supposition is in the first place and the podcast ends in chaos.

Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #37:  This issue is a "Dark Droids" tie-in issue, though we only get brief allusions to the larger event.  Mostly, it's focused on Kligson, the cybernetics expert to whom Boba Fett sent T'onga to fix Valance's memory.  

Boba Fett's father Jango and Kligson worked together as bounty hunters back in the day, and, when Kligson was injured in a heist, Kligson had Jango take him to a space station orbiting a moon.  It turns out droids worshiping Ajax inhabited the station and agreed to help Kligson when he revealed his family were the ones who sheltered Ajax and community before the Jedi came for him.  (Interesting the Jedi came for Ajax...)  

In the present, the droids agree to bring Valance to Kligson, who's now a deranged cyborg eager to wipe clean Valance's memory so, I think, he can inhabit his body.  Just Valance's luck.

Also Read:  Local Man:  Gold #1

Ten-Month-Old Comics! The July 5 Top-Shelf Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

No/One #4:  We get right to it here as Ben arrives at the sports bar from last issue that Chuck Tate frequents and Tate calls to him as "Jim."  (Given that ben looks like Commissioner Gordon, I did a double-take!)  Tate, "Jim," and the barflies watch one of Tate's old games, which gives way to a newscast that mentions Coach Cade  would've had a chance to win his 100th game this week.  Tate suddenly announces he has to leave for a big booster event.  Ben follows him, and we see Tate simply bringing home a pizza and watching some TV.  Ruh-roh.

Meanwhile, the newscast shows Julia's mother, Alaina, going on a rant about Julia in response to a question about an article in which she commented about Julia.  Separately, at a press conference, we learn Danielle Gaines from Edge News published said article when she half-heartedly apologizes to Julia for it.  Julia isn't buying it, pointing out  Danielle's shoddy journalism for publishing Alaina's rant without seeking comment from Julia.  Danielle proves what a hack she is by claiming she hit "publish" by accident.  Oof.  

Their argument is interpreted when Senator Kemp takes the stage and announces that he's introducing Proposition 87, which will allow Pittsburghers to "proactively defend" themselves, through preemptive immunity, from "attacks" including "doxxing, social media terrorism, and so-called accountability data drops."  Later, Danielle hacks out again when she pays the security guard we saw at the issue's start for a piece of Adam's mail that reveals who Copycat #3's next target is.

Elsewhere, Ben visits Tate at home, and Tate recognizes him as Ben.  Ben asks why Tate is protecting Cade and goes on a fakakta spiel where he hypothesizes that Tate is worried about revealing what he knows about Cade (i.e., more about the "Clarity" note) because it'll take away his accomplishments.  Not unreasonably, Tate is like, "motherfucker, you raised a fucking serial killer, MKAY?"  Ben acknowledges he's a bad parents and says that he's trying to atone for it by finding his son's killer, who's likely Cade's killer as well.  He loses me, though, when he tells Tate that telling the truth will make people respect him more than an interception.  Like, does he live in the same America I do?

Then, a lot of things happen at once.  Someone calls into Major Crimes to tell them that Danielle Gaines is publishing the next victim's name:  Tobias North of P3.  Julia confronts her mother, who complains that she did a softball interviews of Ben Kern and No/One.  Of course, neither statement is true:  Teddy did the Kern interview, and Juila didn't interview No/One - No/One saved her life while she was recording Kenny Chobsky pulling a gun on her.  But Alaina is somehow convinced her fear-mongering is helping the situation while Julia is reporting from a bubble (where people try to assault her...).  Then, Teddy (I think) calls Julia to tell her Tate confessed to Ben that "Clarity" was a woman.

The cops arrive at North's apartment building, but No/One disables the elevators.  He arrives just in time to see Copycat #3 (presumably, but who knows at this point) shoot North, and they launch into a fight.  No/One illuminates the circle on his helmet to blind Copycat #3, and Copycat #3 uses a taser to stun No/One.  Copycat #3 then flees and hits the fire alarm, escaping in the chaos as everyone evacuates the building.  Later, at the bar, one of the barflies mentions that Tate might tell them about the afterparty that happened after the game on TV, and Ben stays to see if Tate arrives.

P.S. The podcast definitely fills in some information here that could be essential to the plot.  

First, picking up last issue's storyline, Chobsky "met" Chris O'Neil on a pro-gun sub-Reddit where they got into an argument, which prompted O'Neil threatened to SWAT Chobsky.  

Separately, Senator Kemp's brother, who apparently staunchly supported him despite being a progressive activist, changes his tune and confirms that his brother is corrupt.  

Meanwhile, in an unsourced recording, Tate admits he helped Cade get drugs and girls, because Cade liked to party.  It turns out "Clarity" was a girl who Cade found dead in bed next to him during a Spring Break party (likely the one to which the barfly alluded above).  Cade called Tate who disposed of the body for him.  Tate says he never told anyone, but obviously Copycat #3 knew.  

Finally, North oversaw a cover-up operation, paying the employees caught dumping chemicals off the Jersey Shore to claim the company didn't know anything about it.

In other words, a lot of shady shit is happening in Pittsburgh.

Star Wars #36:  This issue is an odd one, as Leia and Admiral Ackbar put the lives of four of the Rebellion's best pilots (including Lando) on the line to score a symbolic victory, striking the Emperor's statue in Monument Plaza on Coruscant.  

The pilots are (rightly) skeptical about the plan, given it's basically replicating - as Leia notes - the attack on the parade they launched in issue #26 (which I remember not at all).  But Leia and Ackbar see value in striking at Palpatine and Vader while the Force Wave distracts them, so in the pilots go.  

The team loses two pilots almost immediately, discovering the statue itself is a trap, armed with laser canons.  Chewie manages to grab Nien Nunb after he ejects from his ship and bring him aboard the Falcon, setting up his origin story as Lando's co-pilot.  They escape through all the various layers of Coruscant, per Ackbar's plan.

Later, a furious Lando berates Leia for wasting the two pilots' lives on a failed plan.  But Leia informs him that one of them got off a good shot, and we see the destroyed statue on the issue's last page.  Although Leia crows that its all over the holonet, I'm Team Lando here, as it seems harsh that Leia and Ackbar sacrificed the two pilots' lives - pilots who were among the Rebellion's best - for a public relations stunt with limited impact.

Star Wars:  Yoda #9:  Like "Star Wars:  Darth Vader - Black, White, and Red" #3, this issue does an excellent job of making Anakin's fall all the more tragic.  

Given a pretty great sequences of events, Yoda finds himself orbiting Golatha inside the remaining megadroid's body.  Despite the fact that he's suffocating, Yoda uses it as a learning opportunity for young Skywalker, as he has a doubtful Anakin use his powers to stop the megadroid's spinning.  Throughout the drama, their exchanges are delightful and clearly amplify Yoda's devastation that he failed to save him, as we see at the issue's end when he finally acknowledges Obi-Wan's ghost.

I've been rough on Yoda for years, given the deference paid to him despite his failure to recognize Palpatine as Darth Sidious.  But Yoda finally acknowledges that here, telling Obi-Wan that he hasn't removed himself from the galaxy for penance but because it's better without him.  With that acknowledgment, Yoda is right back on my list of favorite characters, the rare Jedi who can acknowledge both his failure and his grief.