By Cat Wyatt
No. 1 With a Bullet #4 starts out in a surprising manner; with Jad Davies admitting to the other board members of the business that he did, in fact, sleep with Nash and film her without her knowledge (or consent). Now, admitting this to two guys in a locked office is completely different from admitting it on the news, but it’s a start, right?
Meanwhile Nash is sitting on the sidewalk, waiting to be arrested (and hoping nobody snaps a picture of this horrible moment – that’d be the last thing she needs right now). As it turns out, the officer handling things is the same one that investigated the break-in at her place, so I feel like its safe to say he’s sympathetic towards her (it certainly feels that way). He opts not to arrest her but wants to have a chat with her instead. He doesn’t end up asking anything major, just when she last talked to her ex and things like that.
Personally, the whole conversation got me worried that something has happened to Violet and we just don’t know it yet. Is the cop trying to decide if Nash had anything to do with it? I’m assuming if something happened, and if he suspected Nash (two big if’s, I know), then the fact that he dropped her off at home means he probably decided she was in the clear. Right? Or maybe I'm just paranoid, and Violet is safe at her home or out on a lovely post-breakup vacation.
A huge chunk of the rest of this issue is about the buildup towards Jad Davies’ speech on live television. My gut told me which way it would be going, and unfortunately, my gut was right in this case (though I doubt anybody was expecting anything different, considering all of the character development – or lack thereof – that they’ve shown us for Jad). Like I said, there’s a huge difference between admitting what you did to a couple of friends (colleagues, whatever) and admitting it to the news (and thus the world). This dude clearly didn’t have the balls to fess up to what he did, and frankly I don’t buy the altruistic spin he tried for defending his actions (he’s doing it ‘for his wife and daughter’).
The ending certainly was a surprise. I wonder if the person behind this was also the one that broke into Nash’s apartment? I can’t wait to see who it is, and why they’ve taken to defending Nash like this (assuming that’s even their motivation, who knows).
No. 1 With a Bullet has been focusing very heavily on the debates about privacy and consent, as well as everything in between. Considering how anything done in today’s time could end up getting filmed and going viral, it’s a valid concern. I mean, look at that kid that just became meme-famous for having his phone out while Timberlake was dancing next to him. That’s pretty much the best case scenario for becoming internet famous. It can also go horribly wrong, as shown in this series.
The artwork for this issue was brilliant, especially the color palette. I didn’t think I’d like the bright colors, especially in contrast to the heavier plot and subject matter, but it’s oddly appropriate. Somehow the glaring nature of it all complements the story perfectly and vice versa.
Score: 4/5
No. 1 With a Bullet #4
Publisher: Image Comics