End of Life #9
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colorist: Chris O'Halloran
Cover Artist: Gerald Parel
Publisher: DC Comics, Vertigo imprint
Eddie Stallion manages to survive his fight with two Cocks, a dwarf, and a madman—but that's nothing compared to having to tell Sophie the truth about his life…
Note: this review is going to be pretty immature and use some adult language. Keep the kids at home.
And yes, I'm aware of the ironic combination of "immature" and "adult" that I used there.
Cockfight
Eddie may have escaped captivity, but he still has to deal with Rumblemindt, Little Cock, and the not-dead Big Cock! Maybe Eddie isn't a very good killer after all? Anyways, once he manages to survive all of that, he finds himself face-to-face with Sophie, who not only wants to know why he didn't show up for their coffee date but also why he hasn't visited his dad in the hospital. So he tells her… the truth?
And of course she doesn't believe him.
Elsewhere, the single worst assassin in the whole Menagerie is coming for Eddie. I'm not sure if he should be worried or not.
Blue Pill
I think this might have been my favorite issue of End of Life since issue #1. There wasn't much action, but the humor was on-point and the characters are showing growth.
But first, there's a big fight. Eddie wisely gets out of the way, and we're given Rumblemindt versus Big Cock instead. It goes about how you'd expect, since BC is apparently unkillable. So Eddie and the Cocks make nice (hey, that sounds like a band name) and hit Leona's gas station for some clothes and snacks. Oh my god, we see Eddie in something other than his red suit? Oh, and Leona asks if they were up to "weird white people sex stuff" in the woods and that's why they need clothes. I love Leona. She don't take no one's guff.
Big and Little decide to head out on their own, maybe start their own firm. I wonder what they'd call it? Two Cocks Are Better Than One? Size Matters?
Eddie asks if he can come with them, and he'll be a Cock too (in name. He's already one in personality half the time), then they can call themselves the Tripod. Sadly, they turn him down. But LC does owe him a favor, so now he has a phone number written on his hand with the name "Little Cock" next to it. Not helping the "weird white people sex stuff" allegations, guys.
Anyways, eventually things get a little more mature, and Sophie shows up. She's angry with Eddie for ditching, which I get. And she doesn't understand why a guy who inseminates horses would disappear so much and get into so much trouble. Side note: that was about the most diabolical thing Eddie's dad ever could have told people that he did for a living. So, Eddie does the only thing he can, something foreign to him: he tells her the truth. From when he left, to his time in the Menagerie, to the present.
And she doesn't believe him.
Um, Sophie? Haven't you noticed all the weird shit that's been happening since Eddie came back? Violence, murder, fires, dead bodies, the whole nine yards?
I gotta say, Eddie, I don't think she's the One.
Tripod
Kyle Starks really brings his A-game this month, with a near-perfect mix of juvenile humor and actual serious character work. Sometimes I find myself wondering how long this book can last before the schtick wears off. If Starks can give us more issues like this, it can last forever. It's great to get Eddie's backstory, even if it's nothing all that different than normal hitman stuff. I was surprised to see that George actually sent Eddie there; I always assumed Eddie went himself. So then why does George hate Eddie so much for leaving? I hope that's explored more.
Steve Pugh does some of the best facial expressions, but his body language is equally great. When you have a character called Big Cock who wears a Giant Chicken mask over his head, that's a necessity. The fight in the woods is both hilarious and brutal—but not as brutal as Sophie's treatment of Eddie later in the issue. Just great stuff all around.
Chris O'Halloran's colors work so well with Pugh's art. Eddie doesn't have his red suit this time around, so there are no massively garish colors used here. Big Cock is dirty and scorched, as a guy who was set on fire and then hid out in the woods should be. And the flashbacks to Eddie's past are rendered in a nice sepia tone to make them stand out.
Undomesticated Equines
End of Life #9 is easily the best issue of the series since issue #1. It's got great action, strong character work, and Eddie Stallion is showing some real growth (no that's not a Big Cock/Little Cock joke). I have no idea where the series goes from here, but I'm down to find out.