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Detective Ari Nasser recalls his confrontation with The One Hand Killer. The rabbit hole comes to an end and Nassar may not like what he finds there. What dark secret has the city of Neo Novena been hiding all along?
- Written by Ram V
- Illustrated by Laurence Campbell
- Colors by Lee Loughridge
- Letters by Aditya Bidikar
- Designed by Tom Muller
- Published by Image Comics
The One Hand Comes To A Close
Ram V and Laurence Campbell’s Science Fiction, murder mystery Noir comes to conclusion in issue #5 of The One Hand. Each issue has been a piece to a larger puzzle, weaving an intricate tale along with it’s companion book The Six Fingers. Ram V has done a fantastic job of giving us a little more each issue, without revealing the shocking twist in this issue.
Ari Confronts The One Hand Killer
The issue starts with detective Ari Nasser involved in some sort of interrogation or possible debriefing. It’s kind of a jump from the end of issue 4 so I was a bit lost at first, but when we realize that he is recounting his final confrontation with The One Hand Killer.
Enjoying Ram V’s Sci-Fi? May I suggest Dawnrunner?
It’s a tense meeting when Ari finds Johannes in the process of killing his final victim, one he claims to look remarkably like his own father. It’s a wild standoff as Ari seems more focused on getting answers from Johannes than he is actually stopping the murder. Johannes keeps informing Ari that he’s asking the wrong questions. It’s clear that Ari is having a hard time thinking bigger, or even out of the box.
Ari Nasser Needs to be asking “What?” and not “Why?”
It’s the “why” for Ari and not the “what” that it really comes down to. Not until he remembers all of his conversations with Helene, a pleasure Cog that he fell in love with, that something odd has been reoccurring…the airport. The ending is too good to spoil, but I wasn’t ready for the reveal. Ram V had done a magnificent job of keeping me on my toes throughout all of this, and never once did I suspect what the big picture was. I will say that it was wonderfully executed, through dialogue and artwork. I almost felt like a kid again and I was watching The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, or for an even more recent series, Black Mirror.
The Timeless Art of The One Hand
Laurence Campbell and Lee Loughridge consistently put this book at the top of my recommendations. Ram V’s story is obviously immersive and well plotted with some deep and relatable characters, but it’s the art work that makes it truly wonderful. The task of taking Science Fiction and combining it with a gritty detective Noir series may seem as simple as just throwing “Blade Runner” at the page, but they did something so much more.
Curious about the complete series? Reviews for issues 1-4
Hard black lines, tons of shading, glowing lights, and a simple and grounded approach to character designs made everything feel so heavy, bleak, and daunting. It was the perfect atmosphere for the type of story they wanted to tell. Then there were the neon lights, smoke filled streets, and bloody gore that added layer after layer to the book, and this issue was no exception. Finally, it’s the code that Johannes would leave on the walls that will leave a lasting impression on me. I find myself looking for it in the real world: in windows, buildings, pictures, everywhere. The designs and artwork will stand the test of time.
Everything Points to 8.7/10
The One Hand’s conclusion left me in awe. I’m going to be thinking about this one for a while. It was almost frustrating for a good portion of this issue as I was ready to scream at Johannes myself to tell me what was going on. It turned out to be a slow burn, and in the end I still needed a moment to process. It ended up being a great part of a fantastic whole. The artwork will inspire works to come. I’ll comeback at some point and reminisce at how wonderful it was.
