Last time this series left us with a cliffhanger that could have gone one of two ways; while one way would have been bold as hell it would have put a greater burden on the series, so it’s probably for the best that it went the other way. They’re spoilers ahead because it’s impossible to talk about this issue without telling you the outcome of the last issue. The issue actually begins in “The Pack” which is six feet below the surface of trash. We find a school of blue fish with four black stripes on their body. One of the fish stops to eat a plastic monkey from the “Barrel of Monkey’s” toy and in doing so it begins the circle of life as a bigger fish with glowing eyes and spikes opens its spikey mouth to eat the fish, when suddenly a crane scoops up the predator fish and begins to eat it. The thing is, the fish doesn’t go without a fight and actually kills the bird while being digested.
From here the story actually arrives at Chas’ part of the world as the bird flies by the window that was shot out by the sniper. The medical team cuts open Chas’ shirt and a bullet proof vest is revealed with a massive slug stuck in the center of his back. His lung has collapsed so they take him away to treat him, but he’ll live to piss off the rest of the world another day. While he’s carted off he hallucinates seeing his father and basically a memory from his past plays out revealing more of his back story for the reader.
I really liked this issue. The writing is strong and while it didn't take the crazy ballsy direction that I secretly wanted, it made the right choice to continue the story and add a different crazy element. Maybe this event foreshadows the outcome of the entire series, but who knows. For now, it’s just some fine storytelling by Harris. It’s incredible that while the story is still very focused on the human aspect and everything that goes along with that, it still manages to include nature. The new threat introduced in this issue is strange and kind of crazy, but it’s on par with the giant octopus that fell in love with Chas in terms of coolness.
The art is always great, but it really shines in this issue. They opening with the “circle of life” eating circle was beautiful and a very creative way to bring the story over to Chas while introducing elements that would come into play later in the issue. Morazzo’s range is just incredible as he continues to make trash look beautiful, but also jumps from scenic realistic nature scenes to a the rustic Western inspired city and then finish with imaginary future tech. His range is incredible and the art only gets better with each issue.
Yet another great issue in this series, but then that would imply that there’s been a bad issue… and there hasn’t been! If you’re not reading this issue it’s pretty easy to catch up with Image’s new DRM free issues. Head over to their website and you can download all eight issues in one convenient place and get caught up in a day. It’s a great series and definitely worth it.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Joe Harris
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99
Release Date: 7/10/13