We did not get any hail or tornadoes last Friday. Well, my dad got hail, so I have to venture there to help with another Rooftop Adventure this weekend, but nothing where I live. Sadly, as I type this Tuesday afternoon, we might get something Tuesday night. Hopefully not, though.
Six comics left over from March to hit. I knew going in there were probably two titles I was going to drop. And I was right, although only half-right about which comics.
Most of this issue is focused on Jake, who is not the adoptive father figure that the ladies are trying to rescue. No, he is some sort of manager for the resort/hotel/creepy-ass rich people retreat that sits on top of where the guy who is to be rescued is being held. Jake don't seem to know anything about that, but doesn't blink when a large bald man and his lady dressed like Red Catwoman requests a serving tray full to the brim of milk. But Jake also isn't sure he wants to keep working here. Good news, then, that the ladies arrive and take him hostage at the end.
It's an interesting choice, to focus on this guy for an entire issue. I assume he'll be making a tough choice on which side to help at some point. And maybe it establishes the setting, although the hotel seems largely empty. Jake runs into a few people in the halls, and there's one gaming room that has a few more people around it, but it's not a thriving scene. Also, the color are so uniformly drab and dark, if this is supposed to be some weird debauchery party, wouldn't there be more lighting? Wouldn't people be dressed more colorfully? But even the Red Catwoman lady's outfit is muted, only standing out in contrast to the black and sickly grey-green all around. It's not pleasant to look at.
This issue feels as though it's trying to lay everything out for when things start to go boom later. Establish a sense of place, possibly hint at the notion these guests are expecting the all-lady kill squad as part of tonight's entertainment. But it hasn't succeeded in making me care why anyone is doing anything they're doing. The only one who got a personality was the guy being held hostage, who has only appeared in flashback. The characters I would have thought were the leads are barely cardboard cutouts at this point.
Sarge goes to his favorite bar gets drunk, and insults his son. Then he drives to the other bar. Michael eventually goes in after him and gets insulted some more until Sarge sees a guy connected to this case he's hung up on. Then he punches Michael in the face and chases the guy. Who gets on a bus heading for Atlanta. At which point Sarge convinces Michael to come with him by. . .insulting him.
Technically he says he needs Michael, but not until after saying this is Michael's chance to do something important rather than play his stupid video games. Being a husband and father? Unimportant. Help Sarge chase a guy who is probably innocent all the way to Georgia? That's important.
Of course, the next time we see them, Sarge is using the microphone is his car to harass some guy looking at his cellphone while driving. He does this until the guy gets so distracted yelling at Sarge he crashes his truck into those orange traffic barrels. As they are apparently going 80 mph, that guy is probably dead, but I guess I'm supposed to. . .what am I supposed to think? Michael made a terrible mistake? I already knew that.
I had an important epiphany when I finished this issue: I don't care what Sarge's deal is. It's irrelevant if he feels bad he didn't find the person who killed the girl that wore that shoe. It's irrelevant if he knows he was an abusive husband and father. I'm not sure he does, but if he does, he doesn't care. Kelly and Niimura may intend for Sarge to have some Paul on the road to Damascus moment in this. Or not. It may be all about Michael concluding that actually, his dad is awesome and he should be more like him! Doesn't matter. Sarge is a piece of shit. At a certain point, the "why"s don't matter.
If Kelly and Niimura had Michael take the offer and punch his dad in the face now, rather than in three issues or whenever the solicits suggested Michael might get his shit together (issue 5 at the earliest), I might have stuck around. This old guy shitting on everybody and getting away with it because either they're too scared to call him on it (Michael), just figure that's the way he is (the folks at the bar), or he just dismisses their criticisms (his ex-wife, Michael's wife Val).
Watching Michael still want his father's approval is just sad. I get the impulse in people to do that, I've seen it before. That doesn't mean I'll pay for a front-row seat to their humiliation.
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