Written by Bryan Hill
Illustrated by Leandro Fernandez
Published by DC Comics
This series has been great thus far! This issue ends the book’s first storyline. It also sets up the next chapter perfectly. I am so impressed with the work this creative team has put forth. They have really pushed themselves to make an original and incredible new work.
To start this issue, our villain Wynn Morgan is giving a speech to our hero Richard Wright. He is talking about the past of the country. He is talking about the various factions inside of it and the history. And he is talking about how it all comprises and makes up the America we live in today.
Hill writes a horrifying opening scene and it grabs you from the get go. I was drawn in and couldn’t look away.
From there, we see that Richard is at Wynn’s House. They are both by the pool as Wynn finishes up his diatribe. We see Richard contemplate his role in the grand scheme of everything. And we see Richard realize he needs to distance himself from this world.
He starts to come apart. He meets with his handler, Sheila. She tells him to dig deeper. He seems distraught. He tells her “I’m a bad person, Sheila. I’m a liar. I shatter everything around me. And Wynn Morgan knows it.” It’s a disturbing bit of dialogue and a bit hard to read and look at. And it’s extremely powerful.
The rest of the issue is a slow burn. There is no violent climax. No shootouts. Instead, we see the consequences of some of Wright’s decisions. Hill doesn’t give us easy answers. Instead, he gives us something we don’t see enough in the comic book world: Ambiguity.
The art by Leandro Fernandez is perfectly suited for the book. These two make a great creative team. It’s so natural and reads easily. This has a meaningful ending for sure. Now to see where it gets from here. I’m excited at the possibilities of it all.
RATING: A
