By this point, we're following one of GrimJack's reincarnations, 200 years later. He's still getting the right people pissed off at him, though. Hired by a man named Alfred Godden, who feared he was going to be killed by someone named Dis, Twilley arrived to find Godden dead. Godden's daughter shouted an accusation at him, which is enough for Justice Drok (has to be a Judge Dredd spoof) to carry out an execution.
Gaunt/Twilley gets a reprieve in the form of Justice Peece, who resembles Commissioner Gordon a bit. Peece is a robot cop capable of non-linear thinking, so he's been assigned to investigate murders. Peece hears GrimJack out, who explains Godden believed he was going to be killed by someone named Dis, for doing them dirty in a past life. Godden's daughter explains she was just pissed GrimJack didn't protect her dad, so Peece commutes the sentence and takes over the investigation, sending both Drok and GrimJack on their way.
Neither is happy about it, but Drok can't disobey programming. Gaunt however, does as he pleases, and heads to the suburbs. The Bainbridge family's kid had lots of souls, but only inhabited the body at the time. The rest roaming Cynosure, learning anything they want. Like, possibly the location of a person named Dis. Chuckie's not interested in sharing, but Twilley's magic speaks louder and the kid coughs up the goods. Chuckie relinquishes the body back to Zack, who breaks down sobbing. At the dad's question of how he did that, GrimJack only replies 'I know the dark better than you son will ever know it.' That's an understatement. Also awkwardly worded.
Meanwhile, a group called the Ninth Circle, is making backup plans. They're a bunch of demons using human bodies for shells, including Godden's daughter. The Circle isn't convinced they can pull off their scheme without some help, so they summon a 'True Hell's Angel,' TDP bike cop Jericho Noleski. Who arrives on a flaming motorcycle with four cans of a six pack left.
The last time Noleski showed up was 200 years (and 14 issues) ago, when he drove into a demon gate to seal it up as a final act. Hard to believe he only drank two of those beers in all that time, but Hell probably has some decent booze, and Noleski's the sort who would find it.
GrimJack, following Chuckie's information, heads to the Thatcher Building. An entire apartment block on wheels, endlessly circling a massive highway, offering temporary housing for the poorest of the poor. Dis is hanging out inside Li Ho Fok's opium den. They don't remember killing anyone, but do know about the Ninth Circle. And that's because. . . well, if you had, "Dis is the first thing formed after the great battle between two primal gods and created the multiverse," you are correct. Also, you're probably cheating.
Dis created different universes by dreaming them, but lost energy in the process. They created the demons to build Cynosure to gather back that energy so Dis could achieve full strength, split back into the two gods, and start the whole thing over. The demons decided they preferred the universe gradually burn out, and designed a building to keep Dis trapped. Essentially, the Big Bang/Big Crunch theory versus the entropic universe theory. Did the Legion of Superheroes do that with Time Trapper versus the Infinity Man or something?
Anyway, GrimJack destroyed that trap 200 years (and 10 issues) ago. Dis isn't sure they care whether the demons succeed in killing them or not, and neither is GrimJack. If Dis dies and Cynosure eventually burns out, Gaunt can't keep being reborn, since his fate is tied to the city. Sure, but how quickly does that happen? There's gotta be a quicker way to end that cycle.
That's about when Noleski makes the scene. GrimJack tries getting his attention, but remember what I said about Noleski plunging into a demon gate? Gaunt's partially the reason Jericho needed to make a grand final act at that moment, so Jericho goes ahead and causes the building to crash.
In the Munden's Bar back-up (set 200 years in the past), a reporter waits for his informant, I mean snitch. Flea had been a series regular whenever Gaunt needed information, but even he has scruples. Mac Heath (who was the loan shark that was an literal shark in GrimJack #29) killed a judge brutally enough, Flea's gonna tell the papers. If he makes it to Munden's Bar.
[5th longbox, 10th comic. GrimJack #64, "Catspaw" by John Ostrander (writer), Flint Henry (penciller/inker), Gerald Horton (inker), Martin Thomas (colorist), Gary Fields (letterer). "Snitch" by Kim Yale (writer), Tony Akins (penciller), Tom Baxa (inker), Paul Mounts (colorist), Gary Fields (letterer)]
No comments:
Post a Comment