Heading home to New York from London, Rip and Desmond leave Honey—this issue might reveal the rather simple explanation for her absence… Greene and Raymond need to have Rip be flirtatious to move their plots. With Honey around, they can’t do it as cleanly. What’s so odd about her forced absences is how much the character seems to grow in them.
Anyway, this storyline is a short one, with Rip and Desmond on a ship and having to investigate a probable jewel thief. It’s so short, I don’t think Greene ever introduces one of the main supporting characters by name. It’s reveal in one of Raymond’s great summary panels.
Worse, they reveal the identity of the thief about halfway through instead of making the reader wait along with Rip for the big reveal. It makes the rest of the read tedious. It’s fine, but it’s a rather pedestrian effort.
CREDITS
Writer, Ward Greene; artist, Alex Raymond; publisher, King Features.
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