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.

Seven-Month-Old Comics!: The April 17 Top-Shelf Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Blade Runner 2039 #12:  Happily, Johnson ends on a high note here as we get to see Ash and Niander Wallace, Jr. circle each other like prize fighters.  Like any good fight, it ends in a draw, the future uncertain.

Starting right where we left off last issue, Wallace, Jr. again promises to heal Ash.  His price?  Isobel.  He calls in a good squad of five Replicants I vaguely recognize, and Ash tells him that she has bullets for everyone.  Wallace, Jr. promises not to hurt Isobel, and Ash tells him, in a very Ash-like way, that Isobel's life isn't Ash's to barter.  Wallace, Jr. then orders his minions to take out Ash and tells a still hogtied Luv that he'll return for her.

Outside, Wallace, Jr. enters his spinner to find another goon unconscious or dead and Ash in the driver's seat.  Ash confirms the "Ash" inside is Rash, and Wallace, Jr. ponders the fact that he hasn't, in fact, perfected the obedience protocol.  As Ash and Wallace, Jr. head "home," Rash takes out the goons and then stares at Luv, repeating her statement that she has enough bullets.  It's the last time we see Luv, and it isn't clear if Rash frees or kills her.

Ash lands at a destroyed apartment and informs Wallace, Jr. that it's the private sanctum of Dr. Eldon Tyrell, where he was murdered.  Wallace, Jr. repeats his offer, telling Ash she'll die within a year if she doesn't accept his help.  Ash tells him that her conditions for keeping him alive are to leave Cleo and Isobel alone and stop making Replicant Blade Runners.  As he finds a piece of origami, Wallace, Jr. simply says, "Checkmate."  

But he asks Ash what'll keep him to his promise after she dies, and she tells him that he'll be too busy.  She hands him Selwyn's research, which obviates his need for Isobel.  Wallace, Jr. is stunned, and Ash says she wants him to make so many Replicants who'll then make Replicants that they eventually outnumber the humans.  Wallace, Jr. asserts that he'll control them and, recalling Rash, Ash notes that he's too arrogant.

Later, Ash sends Cleo and Isobel on their way, this time with Rash, who'll protect them.  Sitting on a rooftop ledge, Freysa is furious that Ash gave Wallace, Jr. "the future."  Ash tells her that she'd do it again and is just glad she gets to spend that future with Freysa.  Yay!  I was worried these two weren't going to make it.

In her narration that ends the series, Ash says that she doesn't really know if she'll die within a year or "ten more" (an important number, obviously, since it'd bring us to 2049), but she's grateful for whatever time she gets.  I was just grateful to spend this time with Ash.  It's been a spectacular series of series from start to finish, and I can't wait to see where Johnson goes with this world.

Cobra Commander #4:  First things first, part of this series' charm is Milana's art, which perfectly matches Williamson's script in its mysteries and shadows.

The issue begins with a terrified Dreadnok opening a cap to an underground bunker for CC who makes his way through the tunnel as a voice tells him that he's working as fast as he can and begs him not to hurt him.  CC discovers the Dreadnoks were keeping a crazy scientist locked in the tunnel.

Zander, Zarana, and Buzzer are hiding from Protector, and Zander proposes they use "the Juice" against him, given its explosive nature.  Shoving Buzzer into Protector's path, Zandar beelines for the Dreadnoks' base as Zarana searches for any still-living Dreadnok, calling after Zandar that they can't leave behind their family.  Zander's plan works long enough for him to get an airboat, and Zarana manages to get Buzzer and Torch on it as they escape.

In the laboratory, the scientist tells CC the Dreadnoks harvested Energon in its raw form and he found a way to covert it into energy.  CC observes the scientist has more Energon than the swamps could provide, and the scientist says he learned to use other forms of radiation to expand it (though he admitted he can't duplicate it).  CC puts four spider-bots drones on a lab table, and the scientist uses Energon to charge them.

CC heads topside where he encounters Protector, whom he finally calls by his name, Nemesis.  CC orders the guy who opened the cap for him to give him the name of all the Dreadnok's buyers.  He then tells Nemesis that it's time to leave, but Nemesis turns on him now that the mission is complete.  CC is outraged Golobulus betrayed him, though I'm not entirely sure Nemesis isn't acting on his own.  

But CC is no slouch and attacks Nemesis with a chainsaw.  Nemesis tries to rip off CC's mask, shrugging off the electrical charge that accompanies the attempt.  Nemesis flies CC into the air and drops him.  Surviving the fall, CC insults Nemesis for thinking CC didn't see this betrayal coming and has his spider-bots form an Iron Man-esque glove.  He then inserts a container of Energon into it and blasts Nemesis in half.

In the swamp, the Dreadnok from the cap is still running, but CC finds him.  The Dreadnok tells him his face looks like puke, and CC forces him to confess they only had one buyer:  Destro.  Dun-dun-DUN!

Kill Your Darlings #8:  This issue probably should've been two issues or an even longer extended issue, as Parker and Sheridan are forced to rush through some sequences given how much ground they cover here.  For example, I would've liked for Quinn to have more space to show the final confrontation between the Witch's minions and the Rosewoodians, which mostly gets crammed into a single page with too many panels.  All that said, it's still a satisfying ending to a great saga.

In a distant land, Wallace tells President Mayor Starlight that he and the Rosewoodians are going to set sail the next morning as the Great Evil is on their trail.  Wallace thanks Starlight for keeping them safe as well as harboring...something all these years.

On a nearby beach, Rose is trying to use the Witch's spell book to cast spells, to no avail.  Elliott tries to comfort a frustrated Rose, but she rants that she needs to learn these spells so she can send Elliott home.  Elliott tells her that he isn't going "home."  When Rose starts talking about his family, he tells her that he's been watching his family wither slowly in front of him his entire life.  He couldn't help his mom as she slid into dementia or his dad as he slid into alcoholism.  But he can save the other person he loves:  Rose.  He tells Rose that if he returns to Earth to water his mother's garden, it'll be with Rose.  Rose impulsively kisses him and then they sit together in an awkward if companionable silence.

Interrupting the moment (welcomely), Wallace arrives with a shattering crystal, which Rose recognizes as the Silver Flame of Kichendror (the item Starlight kept hidden).  The crystal starts to crack, and we see an eye peek at us through the opening.

We then fast-forward eight years.  The Witch is sitting on a throne surrounded by the ghosts of her fellow witches that she couldn't save.  We watch as a desiccated Evil bursts into the throne room to tell the Witch that Rose is coming.  Rose enters, and the Witch tells her that she shouldn't have come by herself.  Rose responds, in a wonderful moment that shows how much she's grown, "Oh, Eleanor, when have I ever been alone?"

On cue, outside, Wallace and the Rosewoodians attack the Witch's minions, who are the captured Rosewoodians that the Witch has changed to look like villagers (as she did last issue with he "parents").  Wallace hits one of them with an arrow that has a glowing purple potion at its tip, and the potion turns the villager back into its Rosewoodian self.  In the castle, the Witch gives her waning power to Evil, who grows several stories tall, exploding from the castle.  The Witch gloats, recalling Rose's fear when she first confronted Evil in that cave.  But her gloating doesn't last, as a bright eagle-like creature (i.e., the Silver Flame of Kichendror), with a bearded and sexy AF Elliott riding her, attacks Evil.

The Witch then attacks Rose, who bring out Francine MK 2.  We see all the battles taking place, in the aforementioned busy panel, as the Rosewoodians deliver more potions.  The Witch traps Rose in vines, but Rose reminds her she read her book and returns the favor.  Encasing the Witch in a cage made of vines, Rose tells her it ends her way, with no more bloodshed.  

Rose recalls that her mother told her that you have to make friends with your monsters and ponders whether they're all not monsters.  She undoes the vine cage and tells the Witch that she's sorry for what her mother did and the pain she left behind her.  Rose tells the Witch she always wanted to hate her mother, but she just found herself missing her instead.  She confesses she wants to hate the witch, too, but she read her book and knows how much pain she's suffered.  She tells the Witch she probably imagines there isn't much human left inside her, and the Witch expresses shock that Rose is willing to free her after all she's done.  Rose tells the Witch that she can't forgive her all her sins, but she can forgive what she's done to her.

The Witch says it doesn't make sense, and Rose says she should know that nothing does.  She talks about how she created all theses stories because she needed to make sense of everything.  She thought the Witch was just the villain who tried to steal her story.  Returning to the comment last issue that made me laugh — the Witch telling Rose that Rose's pain was the Witch's story — Rose tells her that the story is their story.  (As she does, we see a young Rose clutching Wallace looking at a young Eleanor with fire around her feet.)

Rose then helps the Witch to her feet.  Outside, Evil gloats to Elliott that he can see in his eyes that he never left him, but, before he can kill him, the Witch tells Evil to stop.  Evil reminds the Witch she promised him deaths, and the Silver Flame strikes, ripping out Evil's heart.  A much reduced Evil tells the Witch that she broke the pact and knows what doing so means.  As Evil gloats over the pain awaiting the Witch, Rose cuts him in half with Francine Mk 2, telling the Witch that she made an exception to her "no killing" rule.

Suddenly, a portal to a "realm of Terrors" opens.  The Witch wonders if she actually birthed "this plane of blood and torment," her version of Rosewood.  Rose tells her that she doesn't have to enter the portal, and the Witch responds that she broke a blood oath with "their kind."  Her soul is her penance, but she notes that she's always felt at home among the flames.  As she enters, the Witch tells Rose that she's sorry for the horror she inflicted on the Wilderlands and hopes Rose can save it to make it all mean something.

Later, Rose and Elliott joins the Rosewoodians.  The "villagers" aren't right in the head, as Wallace notes, saying they're going to need help.  Recalling the first time she created Rosewood — on the back of a menu at the diner where her mother worked, after her mother asked her to draw Wallace's homeland — Rose tries to save Rosewood.  Unfortunately, she can't.  

As Rose and Wallace lament her failure, though, a door to Earth suddenly opens.  They all walk through it, and Elliott wonders if the Rosewoodians are going to break people's brains.  But a little girl runs to Wallace and throws her arms around him as the rest of the Rosewoodians enter.

In an epilogue, 16 years later, Rose works on lesson plans as Elliott happily works in the garden.  Her son draws a picture where he's an astronaut facing a Star Eater, who's scary.  Rose then draws a large sword in the astronaut's hand and says, "Doesn't look so scary to me."

I mean, I'm exhausted just writing this review, let alone what it would've been like to live the story told here.  As I said, I wish Parker and Sheridan had more pages to tell this story, because I still feel like we rushed past important moments.  But they still stick the landing.  In the end, it's a story of broken people who don't always respond to adversity in the best way.  In the end, though, Rose had her friends and Eleanor had no one.  By understanding that, Rose is able to forgive Eleanor and save them both.

Go forth and be excellent to each other, y'all.

The Weatherman, Vol. 3 #4:  Man, this series keeps getting grimmer and grimmer.

Hovering above Venus, Jenner throws the biohphagus plague onto the frontier colony of "Resilience," with a population of 31,536 people.  

Meanwhile, in Redd Bay on Mars, a Gambit-looking figure fires sedatives into two M.S.A. guards standing watch on Nate's old apartment.  He makes his way into the apartment and searches for something.  

Elsewhere on Mars, the media are reporting on the incoming election results when they turn to a breaking news story, the arrival of the biophagus plague on Venus.  Outside the Martian president's residence, an enormous crowd gathers demanding Burga's death and for Cyrus to save them.  Burga watches the crowd and ponders aloud that she thought they could win.  Jared tries to reassure her, telling her that only 85% of the districts have reported their results.  But Burga isn't talking about the election:  she's talking about how she thought humanity would find a way to avoid what happened on Earth and that she would lead humanity to that success.  Jared expresses his faith in Burga and Agent Cross, but Burga tells him it might be time to plan for the idea that they might not make it this time.

Suddenly, Zane interrupts their conversation, saying the protestors are ready to break into the residence.  Zane recommends nuking Venus to stop the spread, though Burga notes it didn't work on Earth.  As Burga exits her office, she's met by Zane and a group of gun-toting guards aiming their weapons at her.   A coup!

Above Venus, Cross and the Marshal try to figure out why Jenner used his "magic bullet" on Venus, with its one million people, instead of dropping it on Mars, with its 10 billion people.  The Marshal hypothesizes that he's trying to amp up the dread, but they can't figure out how he's going to get the virus to Mars.  Meanwhile, White Light sees a news article about someone kidnapping a prominent physicist and throws her coffee cup at Cross' head to get her attention.  (It's pretty hilarious.)  She then points to a hypergate.

At a laboratory in a facility "elsewhere," the kidnapped physicist, Dr. Kanbe, tells Jenner that they need to activate the fusion generator in the basement to open a hypergate.  It becomes clear that they're going to send the infected Venusians through this hypergate to Mars as we see Molly herding them to the facility.  But Kanbe warns Jenner the generator will eventually collapse and informs him they'll need to open the gate once a device she hands them lights green.  Kanbe then tells Jenner that she doesn't know what Jenner is planning but demands that he keep her family safe as part of their deal.  (Really?  You don't know what he's planning to do with a hypergate, even though you know his reputation?)  Jenner pledges that they'll live out their days on a luxury space vessel (he lies, obviously) and then shoots her.

On Mars, the crowds break down the gates outside the residence, and Zane has the guards open fire.  On the team's ship, White Light identifies the facility on Mars with a strong enough power source to keep open a hypergate, and Cross calls Burga to tell her the plan.  Burga notes that hypergates are "space phenomena" that they use where they find them, and Cross informs her of Kanbe's research.  Burga promises to try to organize a strike but informs Cross of the coup and that Zane has seized the military.  Burga says it'll take an hour, and Cross says they don't have that long.  Looking at Jared's dead body (he got caught in some crossfire), Burga tells Cross it's all on her now.

As she prepares to head to the facility, Cross finds in her backpack a blood-covered piece of fabric.  It took me some re-reading to realize that it's the tie Nathan removed in issue #2 after he shot the pig.  She then has a flashback where her old boss, Fitch, tells her that their job isn't to punish the Sword of God but "save the ones that are left."

On Venus' surface, the Gambit-like figure, named Reyk, arrives and hands Cross a box, telling her that it's on the house.  She apologizes for Garren, and Reyk says that at least he's in charge now.  Telling her "greatness is for suckers," he leaves.  The Marshal  wonders why Jenner is keeping Ian alive, and Cross says that Jenner, for all his conviction, needs someone to understand him.  As such, he's going to have Ian pull the trigger, which we see on the last panel.

You guys, we are not getting a happy ending.

Seven-Month-Old Comics!: The April 10 Top-Shelf Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Napalm Lullaby #2:  This issue is a lot better than the first one, so I'm happy to say I'm going to hang in here.  That said, Remender spends most of this issue laying breadcrumbs for paths whose ends we won't find for a while.

We begin with Sam telling Sarah that, when they defeat the Magnificent Leader, they should seriously consider her using her powers to re-create the world in their image.  (Sarah's powers are more clearly - if still vaguely - defined here as allowing her to dream things into reality.)  Sarah repeats aphorisms that Sam ascribes to their father, like "Reject all moral authority" and "Fear all moral authority.  Especially your own."  Sam makes the point that a new world order will happen whether they like it or not once they take down the Leader so why not make it one they want?

They arrive at home, which is essentially a museum of high and low culture:  Renaissance paintings and the Venus de Milo stand beside a C-3PO statue and Marilyn Monroe bust.  Sam and Sarah continue arguing, with Sam saying that people are too stupid to make up their own minds.  (Remender certainly wrote this series with the election in mind.)

Ordering Sam to make dinner, Sarah enters their father's study.  He immediately asks if she found any relics, and she simply responds that dinner'll be ready soon.  At the table, their father harps on Sarah about how she didn't find a relic, and, when Sam enters with dinner, he asks Sam if he found any relics.  When Sam says he didn't, their father asks what they we were doing all day.

They confess that they got three haloports to undertake the pilgrimage to the Crystal Temple and inform him that they're taking him with them.  Their father is outraged, but Sam says they know "she's" been in touch with him:  they found letters from inside the dome pleading with him to bring Sam and Sarah to her.  (I'm assuming it's their mother.)

But it's clearly not that simple.  Their father is obviously hiding them from the Leader, noting that they're the only ones (meaning, clearly, people with powers) that "the Janitor hasn't cleaned up yet."  He accuses Sarah of wanting to end the world, and Sarah shoots back that he's hiding in a mausoleum "preserving a dead world."  Sam takes up the cause, accusing their father of hiding.  He then uses his powers to set the room full of relics on fire, prompting a smack from their father.  Sam tells their father that saving the relics won't bring back the past and dares him to help them fix the future.

Later, Sam and Sarah talk on the rooftop, and it's clear the plan is to get Sarah inside the Palace so she use her powers (which is why it ups the difficulty given they only have one sedative pen).  Sam comments that they have to hope she doesn't have a nightmare this time, and Sarah says it won't be like when...something happened.  (I'm guessing it's when they lost their mother.)

The next day, they depart, and their father is with them.  They're all dressed in white robes, and he warns the kids to think only positive thoughts in the Citadel of the Devout, as it's swarming with the Sin Police who can read their intentions.  In this conversation, we learn their father previously lived inside the Citadel and the religion believes that the real Jesus is "an alien named Glokor."  (Hi, Scientology!)

At the gates, the guard scans Sam's face and haloport.  He realizes the haloports are for level-five clerics, which Sam and Sarah are too young to be.  Sam then uses his powers to convince them to let them into the Citadel.  Upon entering, I'll note that the images of the Leader look not totally unlike their father...

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #45:  This issue isn't terrible, though Pryde's annoyingly persistent devotion to Vader makes it clear that he's going to die ignominiously in Vader's service at some point.  

In this issue, Vader brings the Schism Imperial to Tython to raid the Martyrium of Frozen Tears, an enormous kyberite confessional the Jedi built.  Vader orders the Schism to strip the kyberite and use it to shield a ship, which'll clearly play a role in his plot against the Emperor.  But the interesting part is that Vader witnesses Luke's confession, where he wonders if he made a mistake not taking up Vader on his offer to rule the galaxy with him.  That's interesting, and I'm here for us exploring that.

Unfortunately, most of this issue is Pryde expressing disbelief that the rest of the Schism doesn't love Vader the way he does and the rest of the Schism telling him he's an idiot.  [Sigh.]  It is what it is.

Transformers #7:  "Transformers" is absolutely the best series on the stands right now.

On Cybertron, at an unspecified time, Elita-1 leads Huffer, Kup, and Warpath to a fortress where an unnamed Transformer is.  However, they're suddenly ambushed.  Kup questions Elita's plan to traverse a long expanse without cover while they're under active fire, but she brooks no dissent, as they have to make it to the fortress.

Kup orders Huffer to use his shield to cover them as they break for the fortress, but the shields eventually fail and, in a brutal scene where Corona really shines, Huffer gets blown to pieces.  (I should note here that Corona taking over the art is seamless.  I don't know how he mimicked Johnson's work so effectively, but I only realized it was a different artist when I looked at the credits page.)  Kup and Warpath return fire, and Warpath is also blown to bits.  Kup orders Elita to "Save him!" as a sniper blasts off the side of his face.  Elita kicks her way into the fortress to find a disassembled Transformer there.

On Earth, the Pentagon directs the U.S.S. Henry Harrison to Washington as Soundwave challenges Starscream for the leadership in the Decepticon's base, which appears to be inside a volcano.  Soundwave tells the assembled Decepticons that they should be conquerors, the "ones that enslave."  Instead, "barely functioning Autobots and their weakling humans" keep winning.  Rumble starts to say Megatron would make it right, and Starscream backhands him, telling him "Nobody wants to hear from the pipsqueaks."  Soundwave tells him that he's wrong, that they've all sacrificed for the goal of exterminating the Autobots.  But Starscream has failed as leader, and he has to surrender.

Starscream tries to stall, saying Soundwave is a traitor, but Thundercracker interrupts, saying that it's their way that he has to fight off the challenger.  Panicked, Starscream tries to stall again but Soundwave brutally attacks him.  Under onslaught, Starscream offers Soundwave a "co-leadership model," but Soundwave beats him to a pulp.  He ejects Laserbeak who — as Starscream screams, "That's cheatin--" — pecks out Starscream's eye.  Starscream offers to forgive Soundwave's betrayal but Soundwave grabs him and, saying, "You kicked my Ravage.", rips out his stomach and throws him into the lava.

This entire sequence is amazing.  Again, Johnson has the Transformers exhibit emotions in a way I've never seen before.  Thundercracker still seems emotional over Skywarp's death when he intervenes on Soundwave's behalf, and Soundwave's comment about Ravage is dripping with hatred.  Plus, Corona's art is spectacular.  He really conveys these emotions so well:  you can see the hatred driving Soundwave's attacks.  When we get to the battle's final panel, with Soundwave standing over the lava saying, "Good-bye, Starscream," it's an emotional release for all of us.

Holding the pieces he ripped from Starscream's stomach, Soundwave announces these pieces will heal Ravage.  But he pledges not to heal just his own (an interesting turn of phrase regarding his relationship to the cassettes) but to rebuild together.  Asking the Decepticons if they're with him, Thundercracker takes the lead in getting everyone to kneel and scream Soundwave's name.  Again, the art is great, particularly with a pleased looking Laserbeak sitting on Soundwave's shoulder.

At the Ark, Arcee observes Carly training with a rifle.  Carly delights when Arcee misjudges her gun's power and blows up Carly's targets.  Arcee says that Optimus calls her the best shot he's ever seen but she wishes she wasn't so good at it.  Carly says she should revel in it, that it'll help kill Starscream.  But Arcee cautions Carly to watch that the fire she sees inside her doesn't consume her.  It's clear Arcee is speaking from experience, but Carly dismisses her.

Arcee then tells Carly about her teacher, Ultra Magnus, who saved Arcee when her clan was killed during the Siege of Cybertron.  She was young, and he taught her everything she knows.  Alluding to events we haven't yet seen, Arcee says she wanted justice for her people, and Ultra Magnus died because of her "path of hate."  She warns Carly that it takes more than it heals, and Carly simply fires the rifle again and says, "Cool story."  (I'm guessing the robot Elita saves in the fortress is Ultra Magnus.)

In the Ark, Cliffjumper laments how furious Carly is at him for not killing Starscream, and Jazz tells him that Optimus is having the same problem.  We move to the hospital, where Spike is sitting in a wheelchair with Optimus, who asks him to talk to him.  Spike tells Optimus that it isn't his fault, he just needs time.  As they drive to the Ark, Ratchet reminds Optimus that it was Sparky's choice, and Optimus laments Spike losing his family so young as he suddenly has a memory of holding Spike as a baby.

At the Ark, Wheeljack tells Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Jazz that he accidentally revived part of Skywarp's neural cortex.  As such, Skywarp is locking out Wheeljack from the systems, so it's slowing down the repairs.  Wheeljack says that it's only part of Skywarp - "they fried him pretty good" - and Skywarp responds, "Eat.  My.  Vapor.  Auto.  Bast--.", and Wheeljack disconnects him.

Optimus and Ratchet arrive, and Optimus tells Wheeljack they need to find the Decepticons.  Wheeljack says they need someone to get them a "bird's-eye view," and Optimus says he has a plan, looking on the disassembled Autobots.

Again, this issue was just a joy from start to finish.  If you aren't reading this series, I feel sorry for you!

Eight-Month-Old Comics!: The April 3 Top-Shelf Edition - Part Three (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

The Sacrificers #7:  This issue is strangely direct for a Remender issue.  It tells two stories:  the first shows how the events of the previous six issues are impacting the world and the second sets up where we're going next.

We begin with a terrible storm striking Noom's village.  The narration informs us that Noom's father, the king, told her every night at bedtime about the "great service that awaited her in the golden castle of Rokos," and every night Noom thanked him for the "wondrous life he'd given her."  

In the castle, Noom's father is irate at Aquatica's failure to protect the village.  He demands the summoning staff from his priest and summons Aquatica, who's equally furious at Noom's father's presumption in summoning him.  But Noom's father isn't having it and immediately informs Aquatica that the storm is going to destroy the village despite the fact they've done everything he's asked.  Aquatica blames the storm on Luna, and Noom's father screams at him that he sacrificed his daughter so Aquatica must help.  Aquatica wordlessly agrees and climbs to the castle's roof.  He pushes against the tides, cursing Luna, and then sees the enormous tidal wave coming to destroy the village.

Meanwhile, Soluna flees the Warden's minions.  The narration tells of Soluna hearing her parents' fights from the hallway as their marriage dissolved.  One night, Luna came to Soluna to tell her that she was leaving.  The narration is particularly brutal as someone on the verge of 50 years old, with Luna telling Soluna that age will take everything from you, leaving you with only two options:  "Die or learn to push through.  And in doing so learn that you're capable of things that once seemed unimaginable."  (Thanks, Rick.  I needed that.)

The narration continues as Soluna fleeing the minions, finally climbing to a plateau where she finds a fruit-filled tree.  Luna tells Soluna that this epiphany ended her marriage because she realized the horrible things she did to stay young.  As the narration concludes, Soluna is violently ill from the fruit, and a Venom-esque monster attacks her, inserting itself inside her as she plummets from a cliff.

Star Wars #45:  I was wondering how Lando was going to extricate himself from this mess, and it becomes clear here.

First, Salli Georgio is fantastic, and I hope to see her often in future issues.  After her cross-examination of Leia, I could actually see Leia taking a shine to her, despite them being on different sides right now.

But we don't immediately get to Salli.  Leia, Admiral Ackbar, and General Madine scramble to insulate the Alliance from the dangers inherent in the Empire possibly getting its hands on Mon Mothma and everything she knows.  I'll be honest, I hadn't really thought through those implications when she was taken last issue.  But Soule does a great job underscoring the threat she poses, particularly as Madine makes it clear the Empire will employ every possible torture to get information from her.  Ackbar scrambles the Fleet according to Tactical Plan Eighteen, and Madine sends Kes Dameron and his Pathfinder team to try to find her.

Back in the courtroom, Madine shoots down Salli's attempt to get them to dismiss the trial, and Captain Muskray uses Leia's testimony to remind everyone that Han is frozen in carbonate with Jabba the Hutt due to Lando's treachery.  Salli creates some breathing room when she gets Leia to admit that Lando only stayed on Bespin to save his people, but she's worried Lando's heart isn't in his defense.  

It turns out she's correct.  Lando has Salli get Chewbacca and tells him that he recognized the kidnapper's voice when she spoke to Mon Mothma:  Hachi, a Scarabi mercenary.  Lando tells Chewie that he knows where a bunch of Scarabi safe houses are but Chewie has to bring the information to command since they'd just believe Lando was working an angle.  Chewie agrees and leaves, and Salli is furious at Lando for not letting her use the information as leverage.  But, as Lando says, he may deserve everything coming to him, but he's still a rebel.

Void Rivals #8:  The issue begins with Solila remembering her little brother, Polada.  He's scared, because they're obviously moments from entering an arena to fight.  He asks if their mother ever loved them, and Solila responds simply that their mother needed money and Zertonia needed warriors.  Polada says that he wants to go home, and Solila goads him into a fight to make sure he's ready for the bigger fight coming.

In the present, Solila is lost in thought, and Darak asks her if she's OK.  She responds that she realizes that Zalilak could send someone after them, and it's clear Polada is Proximus.  She dismisses the thought as "foolish, reckless," and Darak asks if she knows Zalilak to act recklessly.  She responds, "Maybe."  

Of course, she's correct, and Proximus arrives and makes short work of Darak.  Facing Solila, Proximus starts to recognize her, and Solila responds, "If only you could..."  Somehow, Handroid (I think) is able to create a blast that sends Proximus into the dust, and Darak finds a barely alive Solila staked on her spear.  It's...a lot.

Eight-Month-Old Comics!: The April 3 Top-Shelf Edition - Part Two (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Minor Threats II:  The Fastest Way Down #1:  Blum and Oswalt really just set up this next arc in the Minor Threats story here, but it's definitely a story that I want to watch unfold.

In the aftermath of the Insomniac and Stickman's deaths, Frankie and Scalpel are building an empire.  With Scalpel as the brains and Frankie as the face, they seek to unify Redport under Follis Industries' leadership.  Almost everyone in Redport is thrilled to have a locally grown hero, at least as Redport defines "hero."  

But they have challenges.  Frankie isn't thrilled with the real estate kingpin looking to gentrify Report, and the Holiday Gang refuses her demand that they swear allegiance to her.  But Scalpel has a vision, and Frankie is game to implement it.  

As her new bodyman, Backdrop, learns, though, it's only "good" Frankie who's willing to implement it.  "Bad" Frankie decides to ignore Scalpel and murders the Holiday Gang for refusing to bend the knee (and acting like misogynistic assholes).  

Moreover, a group of sadistic teenage heroes, dubbed The Action, torture Brain Tease to learn who really killed the Insomniac.  I don't remember why it's important no one knows Frankie killed the Insomniac and Stickman, though I think it's related to the deal she made with The Continuum for control over Redport.  Whatever the reason, it's clear the issue isn't as settled as she and Scalpel think/hope it is.

Moon Man #2:  Cudi and Higgins give us Ramon's obligatory "dancing on the rooftops" training sequence here as he begins to play with his powers.  Just like Peter Parker, though, Ramon learns that it isn't all fun and games.

The issue opens with Ramon heading to Los Angeles, where Buckley has called together the members of the lunar expedition team.  In a call with Micah, Ramon confirms that his gravitational warping scrambled all the recordings of him, so no one has a clear idea of what he did in issue #1.

At Janus Aerospace, Buckley arrives, calling the other team members "sibs."  He informs them that they're all doing "60 Minutes" at noon, and Ramon calls bullshit, saying that it's obviously a PR response to the protests.  

That said, the interview still happens.  The reporter asks about the "event," but the team members really don't remember much about it.   Nine hours into the mission, the team members saw a bright flash and went unconscious.  For seven minutes, it looks like they disappeared.   Ramon woke up first and managed to get in touch with mission control.  That's about it.

The reporter brings up the ongoing criticism of Janus, that it's focusing on a "massive vanity project" at a time when "nationwide protests continue to shine a spotlight on Janus and its industry strangle-holds."  Glenn essentially invokes the mythological figure of Janus, noting that it can both be true that Janus is "leading the way in a return to our exploratory roots" while at the same time engaging in activity that "we probably do need to talk about."  Addison echoes Glenn's sentiment, saying that Mr. Cordell (Janus' CEO) has issues that he needs to resolve.  Ramon simply says that it's part of the "'What's next' mindset."

At a bar later, Addison says that she's going to stay in Los Angeles and get a job consulting while Janus fights out the next mission.  Glenn is heading to Santa Fe, because he needs not to see people for a while.  (Fair.)  Ramon asks how they're all feeling, and they all acknowledge having weird dreams.

Back home, Micah criticizes Ramon for not taking a hit at Janus while he had a chance, and Ramon is over it, hitting the bricks.  Wearing a mask, Ramon practices with his powers, leaping from building to building with the rainbows trailing him like we saw last issue.  At some point, he falls and hits his head on the street.  Two graffiti artists help him, and Ramon seems hurt so it's interesting that he isn't invulnerable while, ahem, blastin'.  They ask why he's wearing a mask, and he tells them for the same reason they should be given they're tagging in the open.  The kids tell him to go fuck himself, and Ramon leaves.

Of course, Ramon is immediately proven correct when some Janus thugs appear and kick the kids' asses (since they're tagging Janus property).  Ramon returns and tells the guards to let the kids go before it hits the news.  The guards then open fire on him, and the bullet bounces off him.  (So...he is invulnerable?)  Ramon is furious that they responded by trying to shoot him, and the guards retreat.  Ramon makes short work of them, though, and, when one of them tells him to desist in Janus' name, he responds, "Fuck Janus."

He heads home, where he finds an upset Micah who tells him Glenn is dead.

 
The One Hand #3:  Man, this series is getting good.

Ari is waxing poetic about humanity's fate as Mac asks why they're at the site of the chemical spill and not the North Penton murder.  The office in charge of the scene, Detective Black, tells Ari that it was just an accident, but Ari tells her that they've both been in Neo Novena long enough to know that two large scale incidents don't accidentally happen meters apart.  Black grudgingly agrees to keep him informed of developments, though we don't hear anything about the accident for the rest of the issue.

Next, Ari takes Mac to see Odell (the man Ari put in prison for the One Hand murders), even though Mac warns Ari that it's going to piss off the D.A.  Odell doesn't really tell Ari anything other than the fact that Ari see the victims from his perspective - the perspective of the chase - and urges him to see them from a different one - the perspective of the victim.  Odell cryptically tells him that he (Odell) is more like his victims than Ari will ever understand.  Then, he goes to the exit and asks Ari to watch as he gets repeatedly shivved by a bunch of inmates the minute they open the door.

At the hospital where they take Odell, Ari's boss tears him a new one as she asks him how bad it looks that inmates shivved the man everyone now thinks Ari wrongly put in prison while Ari was present.  She suspends him and tells him to stay far from the case; she only keeps Mac on it for "continuity."

Because Ari is Ari, he tracks down Nemone, where she's working at a factory.  He's met there by Lori McKinnon, the in-house counsel for Kore-Sap, who makes the "cogs."  McKinnon is worried that Ari thinks Nemone is the One Hand killer, something that didn't seem to dawn on Ari when he used his credentials to get the appointment.  He's startled when he meets Nemone, who's now called Helene, and learns that she remembers nothing of her previous life.  Instead, Helene tells Ari that she's worked at the factory for 12 years.

Something about that conversation sparks something for Ari, and he calls Mac, who's in the autopsy of the latest victim.  Recalling Odell talking about how he "held their deepest flesh in [his] hands," Ari tells Mac to have the coroner go really deep to see if the victim is some new type of cog.  Paging "Blade Runner!"  Mac is furious when he hears hospital announcements in the background and realizes that Ari is going to try to talk to Odell again.  Ari was in fact planning on doing that, but his plans change when he walks into Odell's room and finds that the One Hand has gotten to him.  (It's gruesome.)  Ari realizes the blood is still wet and says, aloud, "You're still here, aren't you?"  He's startled when the wall responds, "The other hand."

Seriously, I got chills.  The idea that Ari is stumbling upon the fact that a new race of "cogs" exists and only they know it could really kick up this story a notch.  I wonder how the chemical spill is going to play into it, but now we at least now how Nemone does.

Eight-Month-Old Comics!: The April 3 Top-Shelf Edition - Part One a.k.a. "Enter Ghost Machine" (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

The first three "Ghost Machine" issues hit the stands today, the reason I took a dive into the Geiger back catalogue a few weeks ago.  How'd it go?  Let's see!

Geiger #1:  Interestingly enough, Johns doesn't really build too much of a bridge to new readers here, which is a welcome development in my book.  That said, he doesn't make the story inaccessible to them, either.  Instead,Geiger turns a page and leaves Vegas.  Besides Barney, his only reminder of his time there is the former Nuclear Knight from "Ghost Machine" #1, who remains on his trail.  But we'll get there.

A group of toughs arrive in a town that looks like the Old West except for its crooked McDonalds sign.  Henry, the town's elderly mayor, tells the thugs that the town's citizens have given them everything they could.  In response, the lead thug hits Henry in the face with the butt of his shotgun.  He then orders the other thugs to "show them there is no line we won't cross" and screams at them to "hurt the weak" and get the kids.  

As a thug on horseback grabs a kid, the lead thug approaches Geiger, who's sitting on a bench reading "Blood Meridian."  Unwisely, the lead thug knocks it from Geiger's hands.

We then fast forward to the thugs lying in the street, one with Geiger's handprint dramatically burned into his face.  The remaining thug threatens to murder a young boy unless Geiger lets him leave.  Geiger suddenly imagines his son where the boy is and hurls one of his rods straight through the guy's skull.

As the townspeople worry about Geiger getting them sick, Henry goes to talk to him, telling him they didn't realize he was the Glowing Man when he arrived the previous night looking for the library.  Picking up his book, Geiger silently leaves, though we see the smiling Knight watching from behind a post.

At a camp site that night, Barney is acutely displeased with their diet of canned beans, though Geiger tells him that he'll get sick again if he eats anything else, even with his radioactive stomach.  The next morning, the Knight arrives at the abandoned camp site, though it turns out Geiger is still there when he throws the Knight to the ground, telling him to stop following him.  The Knight tells Geiger that he's helping him, that the Army is following him by tracking his rods' radioactive trail and that he blew up some toxic waste to throw the Army off Geiger's trail.

Under pressure from Geiger, the Knight admits that he wants to be a hero like Geiger.  He admits that he terrible things when he worked for the King of Vegas, because he was scared.  You can tell it haunts him, as he tells Geiger that he laughed at the pain of the people smaller than him, people that he hurt.  But he notices that Geiger is never scared.  He watched him stand between the King and two kids Geiger didn't know (in "Geiger (2021)" #6), and the Knight wants to believe that the world is more than toxicity.  "I'm tired of being an awful human being in an awful world."  Fair enough, dude.

Before they can finish, the Army arrives.  They aim a bomb at the pair, and the Knight takes on the soldiers as one of them notes the president didn't tell them to bring in Geiger alive.  Before a soldier can kill the Knight, Barney stops him and Geiger enters the fray.

In the aftermath, the Knight once again (as he did in "Ghost Machine" #1) tells Geiger about rumors of a guy who was cured of the same problem Geiger has.  But Geiger tells the Knight that he *is* the cancer, that "nothing good survives in this world."  

Later, as he braves a strong sand storm, Geiger sees a dandelion amazingly growing in such a harsh environment and remembers his vow renewal ceremony, where his little girl wore a dandelion behind her ear.  (You guys, as a dad, I have a really hard time every time we get a flashback to Geiger's past.)  

He then stumbles upon the Knight, who's taken off his armor, ready to fall on his sword, literally.  Instead Geiger saves him.  The Knight tells Geiger that he made a good point about the pointlessness of the world, so he decided to commit suicide. Geiger tells him that he meant that he should return to Vegas, not commit seppuku.  The Knight tells him that he doesn't have a home and asks why he should wander with no purpose.  Geiger tells the Knight that they might as well try to find this guy who was cured, and the Knight introduces himself as Nate.

The issue ends with a man in an Army jeep examining the dandelion and then using powers to electrocute it, announcing, "I'm close."  Dun-dun-DUN!

Redcoat #1:  As opposed to "Geiger," we haven't really had a deep dive into Simon, so Johns delivers one to us here.  It's, ah, not a pretty picture.

We begin with John Hancock using "magicks of the Founding Fathers" to rescue Paul Revere from some Redcoats and then segue to Simon fleeing U.S. troops in Trenton on Christmas Day, 1776.  Simon notes the British government paid most soldiers to be there and, ironically, the British officers paid the government to be there.  In other words, it isn't the most inspired team.

Simon manages to escape the pursuing soldiers and spends the night in a church's loft.  Around midnight, he awakens to voices in the sanctuary.  Below him, Benjamin Franklin lies naked on a stone tablet (yeah, it's an image) with six red-hooded, robed men surrounding him.  One of the men warns Ben of the consequences if he isn't found worthy, and Ben accepts them.  As the Grand Architect hoists a ram's skull and begins the spell, Simon falls from the loft.  He's hit with blue light from the skull, and one of the men tells the other men to leave as he recognizes Simon isn't worthy.  The church then explodes, and Simon informs us that he woke up the next morning and left.

In 1892, Simon awakens again, this time with three men at the door of the room he's renting at an inn, seeking vengeance for killing family and friends.  He flees to a pub where he begs his ex-girlfriend, Betsy (Ross?) to help him, but she lights a lantern in the window to alert the men he's there since they offered to pay off Simon's (fairly large) tab.  They succeed in killing him.  Later, a young Albert Einstein (yes) awakens Simon while exhuming him.  Einstein is thrilled to find him, because he needs help to stop a Great Evil.  But a group of red-robed men appear before he can explain more.

I'm not sure I'm going to hang in there all the way with "Redcoat."  Simon is funny, but he's remarkably unlikeable.  But the premise is intriguing, particularly since Einstein's "Great Evil" is clearly the one mentioned in the Unnamed timeline that comes at the end of each issue.  So I'll hang in here a while to see where Johns goes.

Rook:  Exodus #1:  Holy shit, this issue!

Our introduction to Rook and Exodus came in "Ghost Machine" #1, where Johns walked us through the status quo on the eve of the War of the Wardens.  This issue goes well beyond an introduction, giving us a world-building tour de force.

In 2152, the Better-World Corporation purchased Planet "F" in the Kepler system, renaming it Exodus the following year and colonizing it in 2159.  The Earth Engine failed in 2170, though, prompting evacuations in 2171.  As we saw in "Ghost Machine" #1, Rook is working on a rocket to escape Exodus and is trying to convince the only other Warden he trusts, Swine, to come with him.

One thing I didn't quite realize - and I'm thrilled to see - is how dystopian of a story Johns and Fabok are telling.  Initially, I thought Exodus was just a world providing agricultural resources to Earth, so Better-World didn't bother coming to save its workers there.  Instead, it's clear that Rook and his companions were providing these resources to the wealthy people who fled "pollution, poverty, or overpopulation" on Earth for Exodus.  Once they evacuated the (paying) residents, Better-World promised to return for the employees...and didn't.  I thought it was bad; it's even worse (or 2024, take your pick).

Three years after the Engine failed, in 2173, Rook begins his narration.  The issue begins with a rocket blasting into space and exploding, and Rook exposited that his best guess is that only 1-in-50 rockets manage to leave the atmosphere.  It doesn't stop the parade of ships "made from scrap metal and super glue" trying to make it.  Rook explains that no one knows why the Engine stopped working, but, now that it has, Exodus' climate is reverting and the water is disappearing.

Rook's activity begins at the crash site, and he taps into his helmet's neural network to contact Swine for help looking for spare parts.  When Rook reaches him, Swine tells Rook that he's several days away, looting a ship with booze that "Pumba" (clearly his favorite hog) found.  Rook is frustrated, because he needs the pigs to find the parts he needs.  Rook then realizes the rocket's pilot, called a Weatherman, survived, though he's impaled on a stake.  Though Weathermen looked down on Wardens, Rook tries to help him by giving him his last pack of painkillers, a sign that this place hasn't stripped Rook of his humanity even if he's tough.  Instead, the pilot hands him a manila envelope and tells Rook, "Don't let them burn."  The pilot dies, and Rook has to tell the crows not to eat him.  We hear of "instinct influence"for the first time here, which is the unplanned phenomenon whereby the creatures's (here, the crows') desires push into the Warden's mind (instead of vice versa).  

Suddenly, an enormous bear arrives on the scene and attacks Rook.  He exposits that, once the Engine went offline, the predators started to grow larger.  Was it a genetic mutation that the artificial water caused?  Was it an "imperceptible difference in planet size compared to Earth"?  No one knew (again).  At any rate, Rook takes on the bear as the crows hilariously encourage him to fly to safety.  He manages to get the crows to attack the bear, piercing its eye and sending it running.  

Rook buries the pilot (before the birds can eat the corpse) and enters his vehicle, which looks like the Tumbler from "Batman Begins."  (It's an apt comparison because, when we later see his face, Rook looks a lot like Bruce Wayne.)  Rook picks up a flopping fish in a drying river bed and then heads to a dilapidated dome.  Rook exposits that New Mason had a population of 800,000 people with every amenity a family could want, but, as he enters the destroyed city, it's now just him.  As he arrives at the rocket he's building, he exposits that it'll soon be no one.

At home, Rook takes off his helmet to get a break from the birds, and we see his handsome, scarred face.  He roasts the fish but unfortunately finishes off his booze, the only thing that really quiets the birds' voices.  He heads into one of the city's various bird-named apartment buildings in search of supplies.  He walks down a hall of doors marked with Xs (323, 325,...) and enters 333.  

Upon taking its booze, he crosses off the door and heads to the movie theater, which we previously heard the automated voice advertise.  ("And don't fuh-fuh-forget it's family muh-movie night in the entertainment district!"). After the movie ends, he opens the envelope the pilot handed him, where he finds a photo of the man and his family.  Rook wonders if the man's family was still on Exodus or if they ever came to Exodus in the first place.  He puts away the photo.

We watch days, maybe weeks pass, as the birds' voices in his head get louder and he makes his way to door 811.  Meanwhile, the riverbed where he was getting fish is dry, and he exposits that the crows, who are also hungry, are loyal only to the helmet.

Later, Swine and his pigs arrive.  Swine notes how rough Rook looks, and Rook is pissed, explaining that it's harder for him to find parts now that he needs specific ones.  (Previously, he needed everything so could find them on his own.)  Ominously, Swine observes that his poorly behaved pigs are getting harder to control when they're hungry.  Swine comments that there's something wrong with the neural network, like something is interfering with it.  Rook thinks that it's the failing planet and tells Swine that he can't just wander for supplies in their waning days.  Swine then reemphasizes that he's not leaving Exodus and his drift.  Rook calls him a fool, that the pigs'll turn on him once the helmet fails, but agrees to put aside the worry and get drunk with Swine like they did in training.

That night, Rook comes home drunk and works on the rocket, falling to the ground.  He recalls his childhood in 2148 Bloomington, Illinois, working on his family's farm.  He proudly builds a scarecrow only for some crows to perch on it.  He then watches in amazement as a fleet of spaceships speed into the sky.  Inside, Rook's father watches TV, and the reporters provide a litany of crises:  the West Coast is uninhabitable after wild fires, the New Madrid fault line has its strongest earthquake in centuries, homelessness has hit 33 percent, a media blackout obscures a pandemic in New Pyongyang, Alexandria is flooded, and the Bank of England has collapsed.  They then watch an ad for Better-World, and Rook asks his dad what it all means.  His (hot AF) dad tells him that everyone who can is leaving, but they're not "running away."

Fifteen years later, Rook finds the farm in flames.  Later, an adjustor tells him that his father deliberately set the fire, but Rook refutes that.  The adjustor notes the land'll make an optimal port and, for the right commission, he won't report it as arson.  It's pretty clear Better-World set the fire, but Rook has little choice to accept its compensation offer to put him to the top of the relocation line.  As he boards the ship for the 13+ month trip to Exodus, Rook sees a homeless man with a child next to him with a sign that says, "Don't forget us."  Oof.

In the present, a crow awakens him, and Rook decides they need to leave today.  He looks for Swine only to find some of his hogs eviscerated.  We then see Swine fleeing with Pumba and the rest of the drift from a group of the super-sized bears.  A bear smashes Swine into the ground, and, as Swine reaches for his rifle, a voice tells him that his spine is broken.  A hand then rips off his mask, and an enormous Warden - presumably the Ursaw of next issue's title - says, "And your skull crushed."

You guys, this series is 100% going to become a movie franchise, and we're all going to be thankful for it.  I love everything about it.  The characters are great, the world-building spectacular, the vibe pressing.  I can't recommend it enough.