The last issue of Loose Ends had me really caring and feeling for the two main characters. In a strange way they’re lives were connected from the time they met up until the moment they were thrown back together. With the third issue, the book kind of shows them at their lowest and while it doesn't ask for any sympathy for the characters you’ll find you have none for them any ways. All of the characters have made it to Florida and their different stories are slowly working their way to the center of the web and there we are the fly in the middle. You almost feel bad for Sonny as it’s apparent that he’s the guy that always wants to be the “stand up” type, but he turns around and makes the stupidest of mistakes over and over again. The issue itself flashes back and forth between the present and past when Sonny and his friend were in the military. In the present Sonny and Cheri spend their time spending money that Sonny probably shouldn’t be spending and basically getting “high” to forget the scene at the bar.
Frankly I wasn’t crazy about the characters spending so much time doing drugs and basically avoiding the situation they were in, but at the same time that’s what some people really do. I really enjoyed just how much of the story was told visually and some of the devices that Latour scripted for the dialog as well. Latour does a great job with the story by trusting Chris Brunner’s images to convey the emotion and feeling that’s needed rather than having a caption narrating the obvious for us. There are so many pages that have little to no dialog that the comic almost becomes a cartoon that you are watching.
Brunner’s art is amazing. There are times when the characters honestly look cartoonish, but at the same time it plays to the world and the setting. One scene in particular has Sonny yelling “Cops” on the other side of a bathroom door and we’re shown the line of people outside of the door responding to word. Its shows just how powerful of an artist Brunner is and how strong Latour’s script is. Of course the art wouldn’t be half as good without Rico Renzi’s coloring. Where to I begin on Renzi’s coloring? It’s some of the best in comics hands down.
This issue of Loose Ends didn’t appeal to me as much as the last issue, but it’s still a great book which you’ll find for yourself when you pick it up. The simple fact that the art tells you the story gives the book almost an adult cartoon feel to it (minus the gratuitous sex) proves how good it is. There is just something about this comic that keeps me thinking about it and recommending it as it really transcends any other comic out there. I truly believe that Loose Ends will be a book that the industry looks back at years later as an example of when the medium changed.
Score: 4/5