And I’m done. While it’s obvious Carey isn’t done with all his reveals on Suicide Risk, he’s also gotten to the point of no return. When you start aping Back to the Future, okay! it’s just for a joke and it works all right… But Carey reveals his superhero universe to be based on Highlander II: The Quickening and there’s no excuse for it.
This revelation comes in the middle of the flashback to Requiem’s trial and explains everyone. It’s an uncomfortable mix of sci-fi, fantasy and superhero stuff. It’s been so long since Carey’s had any successful ideas on the comic and the whole trial thing is just terrible. And it gets worse as it goes on.
Then the cliffhanger is confusing; it requires a visual reference only Casagrande isn’t distinctive enough on the art. It should be a stunning moment, instead it’s painfully obvious.
Risk is toast.
C-
CREDITS
Seven Walls and a Pit Trap, Part Three; writer, Mike Carey; penciller, Elena Casagrande; inkers, Casagrande and Michele Pasta; colorist, Andrew Elder; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editors, Dafna Pleban and Matt Gagnon; publisher, Boom! Studios..
Carey continues to let Suicide Risk slide down further. It’s not a terrible issue, though the stuff with Requiem fighting his family and then leaving them when the mind control villain shows up is dumb. It doesn’t make any sense, but then Carey’s never known what to do with the family.
Leo–see, only took me ten issues to remember his name–is now under control of his other-dimensional evil self who’s trying to figure what’s happened. I can’t quite remember the fill-in explaining everything, but the villains are just criminals brainwashed and dumbed on regular Earth?
In a series without a lot of strong women–unless you count them having superpowers–Carey reveals the guy selling superpowers is under the spell of another evil woman. It’s kind of mean. Carey just picks on the guy relentlessly, like the Ghost of Christmas Future picks on.
Casagrande’s getting really good. Suicide Risk is developing a new style, especially with how Carey is developing the characters. There’s a lot of good moves this issue, not just with Leo–his family even figuring in (finally)–but with the supporting cast and where the series is going.
The first half of the issue is a lot better than the second. The second is why you don’t try to do an action scene as talking heads.
I finally remember the lead character’s name–Leo–though I don’t know why. Maybe because his name becomes so unimportant in this issue, as it becomes clear Carey does have some alternate reality reveal planned out where the protagonist was a supervillain already.
Apparently all Carey needed to do with Suicide Risk to sustain the comic was send it to Mexico. This issue is another strong one, maybe even the best so far in the normal series. I even remember the lead’s name is Leo; I usually forget somewhere during the issue.
It’s the best issue of Suicide Risk by miles and I really wish it weren’t. See, it’s a side story. It’s Carey doing the story of a put-upon housewife who gets the chance at superpowers and how it all shakes out. It’s not a regular issue, so it being fantastic doesn’t mean anything for the series itself.
So Carey has his best issue and Casagrande has her worst.