I think that I have just read the line of the year in all of comics while reading Issue #13 of Joe Casey and Piotr Kowalski’s little kinky noir. It goes a little something like this… ”So, Mr. Tanaka, CEO of The Kensei Corporation is dead….And just so we’re completely clear on this…He was torn to pieces by a band of lunatic hookers…”
Those lines pretty much sum up the whole issue of number 13 as a lot of “stuff” is going on and I don’t think really any of it is good. Everybody involved here are having difficulty navigating the ins and outs of Saturn City as there are several unknowns at play. The only true “known” item is that since the crime fighter known as The Armored Saint hung up his spandex and replaced it with some leather and other items of a sexual nature after years of fighting his repressed feelings….That with his absence, shit is happening and it is not good no matter where you are standing.
As to the outcomes or the future of Saturn City, I don’t think that anyone minus Casey himself really knows what is going to happen to all the characters involved. At the pace it is going, I figure that they may all drown in KY Jelly and bodily fluids. Saturn City, it turns out is a cesspool of decadent sexual immorality and hardcore crime. This place needed the Saint. Now he is gone, and the decadence is getting worse and affecting everyone, even the decent and upright ones.
Underneath all of the skin and sin that permeates the whole title, Casey is crafting a truly intricate and intelligent tale in following the large ensemble of persons involved. It is beginning to look like the Alpha Brothers (who aren’t really brothers, I would hope) may be getting ready to make their play on the leadership of the city. They are dancing, prancing, and doing other “stuff” here that would indicate that they are ready to make their move. Elsewhere, The Old Man has “dug deep” and received additional information that has him on guard to some big things happening in the city that he has controlled for some time. He will do any and everything he needs to in securing his power. And to those who may be in his way…Well I submit to you The Prank Addict and his rather unfortunate experiences. The Old man is creepy and is definitely a wild card here, spelling for some rather interesting possibilities once all of the pieces fall into place.
As for the Armored Saint, Simon Cooke, he is dealing with Mr. Tanaka’s rather bizarre demise as well as trying to figure out some mysterious persons at play in his business dealings.
This is still a comic that takes some getting used to as it is real raw and uncensored. The themes of greed, power, and exploration into what a hero really is can very easily get lost in the shock factor that Casey has thrown in our faces like some kind of monster dildo. I have noticed that the best issues have been the ones with the least sex strangely enough. But I think as the issues churn forward, that a happy medium has been reached allowing the reader to get through the shock and be in awe of the actual story. I could stand less of the close up images however. They are still just a little bit creepy. The story is getting interesting however with solid writing by Casey and excellent art (minus those damn close ups) of Kowalski. It is worth reading and slowly becoming a pretty good comic to read.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Joe Casey Artist: Piotr Kowalski Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 5/28/14 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital