End of Life #5
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Cover Artist: Gerard Parel
I continue to be impressed with how this series balances small moments of character growth for Eddie Stallion with his “loudmouth a-hole” nature. That’s a tricky needle to thread.
This Tall to Ride
The cartoonist-turned-bumbling-crime boss versus the loudmouth-hitman-on-the-run. Fight of the century, this ain’t.
Cartoonist-turned-crime boss Richard Smiley has kidnapped Leona’s son Trent as retaliation for Eddie embarrassing his men. After some “convincing,” Eddie agrees to get the boy back. Actually using what he’s learned about the town of Pluto and its people, he knows who to talk to for information on Smiley.
Stopping by his dad’s house for gear, Eddie finds a cleanup crew there. Turns out George survived last issue’s standoff. He and Eddie exchange some harsh words, as per usual.
At Smiley’s hideout, Eddie finds himself in a standoff of his own, until he gets some surprising backup…
Roller Coaster Ride
Richard Smiley has loomed in the background throughout this series, so a showdown was inevitable. As is often true for this book, it didn’t play out in the way I expected.
That “defiance of expectation” aspect of this series doesn’t always come across as a positive thing, though. I was very disappointed with the resolution of George and Drahthaar’s face-off from last issue. I think it feels cheap that issue #4 spent so much time humanizing the elder Stallion and making us feel for him, only for this issue to reveal that not only is he alive, but he’s the same unlikable old man as ever.
Thankfully, Eddie’s growth—so gradual he doesn’t even notice it—has managed to stick so far. For all his bluster, Leona is able to convince him to go after Trent pretty easily. He knows just which pair of ladies in town to talk to about the abandoned theme park, and he’s impressively nice and not homophobic to them. It’s when he gets to George’s that he takes a few steps back.
Seeing the cleaning team, he understandably freaks out over what his father has done. But then he pushes it aside, because right now he has a job to do. George is really the one who instigates this argument, which Eddie is smart enough to sidestep and get out of there. Saving Trent is more important than fighting with Dad yet again.
The face-off with Smiley and his men is hilarious. From the conversation over the loudspeaker, to the actual face-to-face, two things quickly become clear: first, Richard Smiley is not a very good crime boss; and second, Eddie could be even more famous and deadly if only he’d shut up.
Smiley hands over Trent, but then double-crosses Eddie, surrounding him with armed men. Somehow Eddie didn’t see this coming? It’s like the more his mouth moves, the less his brain works. Forced to drop his gun, Eddie tries to kill them with his “mind bullets,” which… actually works?
Oh, it’s a sniper. Okay. That makes more sense. You can guess who it is, I’m sure. I loved this bit; it reminded me of Chris Evans’ elevator scene in the movie version of The Losers. And yeah, the sniper showed up when he needed to, but it doesn’t suddenly make him a nice guy.
So in the end, Eddie did the right thing, and he’s welcomed back to Pluto as a hero, right? Not so much. In fact, he might not be returning to Pluto at all… I hope this is a fake-out and he does go back. We’ve spent so much time getting to know the quirky cast of characters there, and they’ve helped Eddie grow so much in such a short time, that I’d hate to lose that already.
No Children Admitted Without an Adult
Eddie and George once again can’t see eye-to-eye. Fortunately for us, Kyle Starks and Steve Pugh get along just fine.
Starks is a master of mixing humor with action, and making unlikable characters just likeable enough that you don’t feel dirty reading about them. He did it with Peacemaker before, and he’s doing it with Eddie here. I’m really not happy about the direction he went with George, but I’m hopeful there’s a plan. He’s great at humor, and that really shows here. There are so many genuinely funny moments in the confrontation with Smiley—I laughed repeatedly there, despite the stakes.
Pugh’s art works perfectly for scenes like that. He can draw great action, but he’s also amazing at facial expressions. Some of the faces that he has Eddie make are cartoonish and ridiculous, but they add to the over-the-top feel of so much that goes on in this series. I am starting to wonder just how many red suits with black shirts that Eddie owns, though—all these fights he’s been in, and there’s no dirt, rips, tears, or other “battle damage.” Are we supposed to think this is one of those suits from the later John Wick movies, or is the art just skimping on those details?
Chris O’Halloran’s colors are another key component to how much of the humor in the book lands. The overall tones this issue are darker, given the cover of night and the subject matter. The red of Eddie’s suit is never any less bright no matter the time or setting, however. He always stands out no matter what’s going on around him. The crazy, psychedelic tones that are used when Eddie tries to use his “mind bullets” just add to the absurdity of that moment. This is a book that knows when not to take itself too seriously, and the color work completely understands the assignment.
Step Right Up
End of Life #5 has a few choices I’m not totally sold on, but the main confrontation is equally tense and hilarious, with a few utterly ridiculous moments throughout. As long as Eddie continues to show even small signs of growth, I’ll continue to root for him. I think we’re at a bit of a transition point in terms of where the story goes next, so we’ll have to see how that plays out.