The Big Shakedown #2
Writers: Jordan Blum, Tim Seeley
Artist: Scott Koblish
Cover Artist: Scott Koblish
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
The Big Shakedown #2 continues to build on Jordan Blum and Tim Seeley's post-apocalyptic crime drama, offering a more engaging look at its characters and the increasingly unpredictable world they've found themselves in. With Los Angeles becoming an even more lawless and bizarre place to navigate, Ester Blanco's search for a missing girl takes her deeper into the city's seedy underbelly, revealing more about the detective and the people she's left behind. Scott Koblish's expressive visuals further strengthen the series' identity, balancing its bleak surroundings with colorful characters and some downright ridiculous scenarios. With a stronger sense of who Ester is and what makes her tick, this second instalment is a noticeable step forward for the series.
The Search for Callie
Los Angeles is in ruins. The Chargers suck, the Dodgers dynasty is over, and detective Ester Blanco is stuck in this godforsaken city looking for a kid! She hates kids! Well… hate's a strong word. Let's just say she's not their biggest fan. Regardless, that's exactly what David hired her to do, and Ester, like everyone else in L.A. after the earthquake, is short on money. She can't exactly afford to be picky about the jobs that come her way, especially when she's already promised David that she'll find his daughter, Callie, and bring her back in one piece.
That's all well and good, but eventually, you start asking yourself: Where the hell could Callie be? L.A. is getting dirtier by the minute. You no longer have to visit a gentlemen's club to see scantily clad women or men. Abandoned movie lots are becoming red-light districts, welcoming sleazebags and degenerates alike, with the city's underground activities becoming more openly visible than ever.
Will Ester be able to find Callie and put David's mind at ease? How will she navigate an unashamed version of L.A. that no longer bothers hiding its seedier side? And will the Chargers just finally win a game already!?
Monkey Business as Usual
Ester practically turns into the Punisher in this issue. I say that jokingly, but, man, she clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed and decided that the shoot-first, ask-questions-later philosophy was the way to go. She swings a tire iron at a guard like she's Freddie Freeman in extra innings. CRACK! Going, going, gone! This poor schmuck has no idea what hit him, and he quickly spills the beans about a possible lead on Callie's whereabouts.
That's still not enough to satisfy Ester, though. She locks the guy in a cage with Ms. Bonnie, an orangutan he's been exploiting for his own twisted purposes. I'm sure you get the idea. This movie lot guard is one sick individual, but what he doesn't realize when Ester locks him in that cage is that Ms. Bonnie is no longer sedated, and she's no longer the victim, either.
Ester also takes on a gang of salvagers armed with what can only be described as taser knuckles. What? Taser knuckles, you say? Where does she even find something like that in a post-apocalyptic L.A.? Well, there's apparently nothing a drone and a large corporation can't accomplish when it comes to finding a willing customer in need. And if you think that's unusual, you should see the 300-pound, gold-plated, uh, phallic-shaped instrument these salvagers end up discovering. John Holmes would have been envious of this thing.
The Ex-Files
We get a little more insight into Ester's past during a phone call with Seth Kelso. Seth runs a Sacramento-based project called Heaven for the Angels, an organization focused on rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles. As it turns out, he and Ester have quite a history together. The two were once married, with their relationship seemingly coming to an end shortly before the earthquake hit.
Ester doesn't have much patience for Seth's rambling about the city's rebuilding efforts. Rebuild what? There's nothing she'd like more than to leave L.A. and drop off the face of the earth. Why would she give a dime to rebuild a city she despises? The only thing she wants from Seth is an address connected to the phone number the movie lot guard gave her. Fortunately, Seth can help, as he still has access to police tracking information from his days working as a DA. He reluctantly provides the address, and Ester goes about her merry way.
It's a rather transactional conversation, to say the least. Ester clearly has little interest in rekindling anything with her former partner, but there's a sense that plenty of history between the two has yet to be explored. It's an interesting little glimpse into Ester's personal life, and I'm curious to see what else Blum and Seeley have in store for this side of her character.
A City in Ruins, Art in Full Bloom
Scott Koblish once again does a great job bringing this world to life. His characters are wonderfully expressive, and despite drawing a comic that you might expect to revolve around dilapidated buildings and the general destruction of Los Angeles, he still manages to have plenty of fun with the world-building.
One particularly brief sequence sees Ester visit a nightclub to meet up with an old friend and see if she can get another lead. It's a relatively small moment, but the setting is bright, colourful, and full of energy. It almost makes you forget that the surrounding streets are split in half and traffic is backed up along dirt roads. It's a nice reminder that there's still plenty of life to be found in this version of L.A., even if the city itself is falling apart.
His use of splash pages is particularly effective in this issue, too. When Ester arrives at a destroyed mansion to investigate how much buried treasure might have been left behind, Koblish gives us a sweet view of the property. Ester and her scooter are little more than silhouettes, allowing the enormous tunnel dug by the salvagers and the widespread earthquake damage to take centre stage. It looks great. There's something oddly scenic about the palm trees surrounding this demolished mansion, making for an interesting contrast against the destruction below.
No Backup Required
The Big Shakedown #2 is a noticeable improvement over its debut issue. We learn more about Ester's backstory, and we get to see her kick some serious ass with a potpourri of weapons. The writing can still overexplain the plot at times, but I'm willing to forgive that and accept it as part of the narrative style Blum and Seeley are going for.
Ester is an engaging lead character, complete with flaws that plenty of readers can relate to and enough F-U attitude to push herself through just about any situation she encounters. She's so engaging, in fact, that you almost forget she's carrying the book by herself. We're only two issues in, and there's still no real supporting cast built around her just yet. That's not an insult, either. It's a testament to how well Ester works as a central character.