Here we are at the end of Hit. What a ride it’s been. The end of last issue didn’t lead much to the imagination as to what was going come next, and that suspicion is confirmed not too far in this final issue. But first, we’re given a glimpse into Slater’s childhood. His father was also a police officer, and his mother slept around on his father with his father’s own friends. Neither parent seemed to give Slater much attention, and his father was incredibly abusive. It’s clear that being around police officers probably influenced Slater to take up the profession, as we see in one panel one of Slater’s father’s friends gives him his hat to wear. One night, Slater trailed his father’s car on his bicycle. This whole sequence was expertly written, both script-wise and art-wise, but it’s here one of the most profound lines was said in the whole book. “An innocent game of ‘detective’ can show you people really are.” This line alone speaks volumes for this whole miniseries, and especially for what we’re about to see when Arthur Blair reveals his true colors. Back to the flashback, Slater sees his father murder one of his friends. His father beat him up until he passed out, and Slater claims he killed his father.
This is when we see Slater, his hands tied up to the ceiling of a tram-car in a dump, leaving him completely exposed. His face is bloody, his torso is torn up, and he is barely conscious. It’s quickly revealed that Blair himself killed Ken Collins since he figured out his plan with Dom. Blair obviously wants Slater dead; he says that Slater has too much of his old man in him. He doesn’t know how to finish what he starts. Blair points out that Slater has just complicated things, which, in his defense, he really has. This whole hit squad has revolved around Bonnie’s well-being, and since Slater wanted to take Blair out, wouldn’t that just complicate things since it would pretty much nullify Dom and Blair’s plan? As he’s being tortured, this time with a cut across the chest and some lemon juice to add insult to injury, the tram-car gets a little visit …
There’s way more to this book than what I’m recapping, but only to emphasize the fact that you should go out and buy this. This has been one of my favorite creative teams to read from these past few months, and if I’m not mistaken it was a first for both the artist and writer creating a comic book. That’s insane for me to think of, the chemistry between the art and storytelling throughout this whole series has been phenomenal. Although I’m sad to see it go, this was a perfect ending to Hit; easily my favorite miniseries this year.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Bryce Carlson Artist: Vanesa R. Del Rey Publisher: Boom Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 12/18/13