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If you’re going to commit the biggest heist ever committed you need a plan. And sometimes to make that plan you need to break your girlfriend from an insane asylum. This happens all the time, right?
Creative Team: Joe Henderson (Writer), Lee Garbett (Artist), Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Lucas Gattoni (Letterer), Rick Lopez, Jr (Editor), Tiny Onion, Inc (Packaging)
THE BIG BURN Published by DSTLRY.
Be sure to check out Comic Concierge’s review of THE BIG BURN #1.
Last issue Owen and Carlie died and then sold their souls to the Devil to come back to the land of the living. There was a hook to this – they lost their love for one another. Owen wasn’t about to let that be their status quo so he put together a team of other folks who had sold their souls to get theirs back. In the meantime, Carlie finds herself in an insane asylum and Owen needs to break her out. Sounds like a good time, right?
Love is an interesting emotion, even when you just ‘know’ about it. The thought of it can be as strong as the actual feeling, if not stronger. In Owen and Carlie’s situation the saying, “better to love and lost than never to love at all” doesn’t hold true. They’ve loved one another and they aren’t ready to just move on.
The nice thing about DSTLRY books is that most of them are 3-issue miniseries. This allows the second issue to provide a lot of meat to the overall story. This is where character development and reveals happen because the third issue is the final act and the story has to wrap up – for the most part. Joe Henderson uses this issue to step on the peddle and provide a lot of forward progression. The characters don’t get a lot of time to sit around feeling sorry for themselves since there’s a lot to do for this heist. Now, don’t misunderstand what was just said – there are those moments that some of these characters are self-reflecting and talking about the regrets in their past lives, but Henderson uses it as forward movement on the overall story.
There’s an interaction between Owen and the Devil that makes even the reader wonder if what the Devil says is true. What he says to Owen is something you’ll have to read for yourself. Either way, Henderson is going to provide an interesting ending to this miniseries and I’m all here for it.
The art in this issue is solid. Lee Garbett is a veteran with over 17 years in this game. His linework is strong. His page layouts are top notch. He brings something to the table when he’s on board a project, and this issue is just another great example of that skill that he brings. Seeing Lee Loughridge’s name on a book always sets my heart at ease because I know he’s going to elevate every page his coloring touches. This issue is no exception. Lucas Gattoni is someone new to me, but seeing his list of work over at DC Comics he’s got the chops. This issue is a great look at what he’s able to do, and seeing he’s very involved with some other DSTLRY books is a good thing to see.
FINAL THOUGHTS
THE BIG BURN has been a fun series. This issue kept the build up of the story going and never dipped backwards for any reason. Working on a 3-issue miniseries for a creative teams has to be difficult because you need to keep readers engaged. This issue did just that.
THE RATING
7 out of 10
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