Jon is more than a little pissed to discover that Jake purposely
exposed them in order to find out more about the Faculty. Now they’re hiding
out in a night club which allows them to talk out in the open and gives them
the best chances at an escape if needed. Jon wants to change his name and start up their
operation again, but Jake wants to find out what he is. Jon is still convinced
that he’s just his conscious shattered from his mind. Jake reminds him that
they’re fully exposed and that anywhere they go will bring the “Americans”
after them instantly. He nicely tells Jon that they're past the point of no return and need to finish what's already started.
Jake let’s Jon know that he has a plan to flush out the
Faculty, but first they need money and supplies. Jake finds an easy mark for
Jon to get a loaded wallet for funding and from there they go to a black market
merchant that they’ve only dealt with once in the past. The transaction isn’t going well
until Jake pulls information from the deep recesses from Jon’s mind. Suddenly the
merchant is very cooperative and they’re ready for the next part of their plan.
They set up a decoy on a train then Jon shows himself to the
security cameras which put the plan in motion. Jon exit’s the train and then
takes an express that beats the first train giving him a head start on staking
out the station. From there he simply has to wait for Jake to spot the right
mark, which he does.
This book has a great balance of character development and
action. Nathan Edmondson
spices up the story a bit by taking the time to develop both characters. Even
though Jon thinks that Jake is just a shattered part of his mind due to an
experiment, Jake gives a very different impression. Jake comes across that as
having a place to go home to; I don’t think his character knows it yet, but he’s
very driven to understand where he came from and I think that’s because he’s a
real person trapped in another man’s mind.
The writing is
very strong on this series and the mix of dialog and action keeps it fresh. It doesn’t
follow a set formula in which by page eight a fight sequence happens and then
is resolved by page eleven. Instead you are just as surprised as Jon is when
the time comes adding to the reading experience. My only grip with the story is
that when it ends… I’m left wanting more to read and I’m stuck waiting another
month.
The art style is still consistent in this issue, but artist Tonci Zonjic’s pencils have really improved. Jake and Jon’s
look is the most consistent it’s been through the series which is a marked improvement
in my book. Also Zonjic’s coloring for the book is amazing. The techno-color
display in the club is eye-catching and interesting. The different shades of
the scenes take an ordinary conversation and make it visually striking.
The series is on the third issue and if you’re not picking it up
then I guess you just don’t like good comics. This book is fun, mysterious and
action packed. It’s become one of the few books I look forward to each month and has
moved to the top of my must read list. With only two issues left I wonder if
there’s a second series already in the works; if not I at least hope to see
more work from the up-and-coming comic team of Edmondson and Zonjic.
Overall Score – 9.0/10