Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer & Designer: Becca Carey
Cover Artists: Gerald Parel; Seba Fiumara; Rafa Sandoval
& Ulises Arreola; Dave Johnson
Connecting Variant Cover Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Editors: Matthew Levine & Chris Conroy
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99/$4.99
Release Date: February 18, 2026
Sure, he was a last-minute replacement. Still, when his
buddy Devin needed him, Eddie Stallion answered the call. Unfortunately, Devin
didn't do his homework. After they killed the security guards during their home
invasion, Eddie saw a familiar symbol. He realized how he had messed up. And
the organization Eddie works for has zero tolerance for the wrong kind of
screwups. Can Eddie skip town before his colleagues hunt him down? And is
anywhere on Earth safe from the Menagerie? Let’s grab a gun and a mask, leap
into End Of Life #1, and see!
Story
Eddie hoped he could cover up his involvement in the
unauthorized raid on the home of a Menagerie boss. But when he sees hitmen
outside his apartment complex, Karla confirms what Eddie suspected. Like Han
Solo, the Menagerie has put a price on his head so large that every bounty
hunter in the world is looking for him.
In End Of Life #1, Eddie realizes his life is over. If his
handler can’t smooth over his mistake, the Menagerie will kill him, or he will
be a fugitive for the rest of his life. When Eddie considers his least likely
actions, he returns to the place he thought he had left forever.
Kyle Starks’ story is about what makes us feel secure. When
he was growing up, Eddie and his father didn't get along. Feeling like damaged
goods, Eddie compensated by adopting a star mentality and acting like the
eternal man-child. But when he realizes that his life carries an expiration
date, Eddie returns to his roots, even if only to say goodbye.
As we follow Eddie through his journey home, we discover
that, despite his flippant attitude, he doesn't intend to offend others.
Perhaps it is due to losing his home and his easygoing lifestyle. Still, he
tries to meet others halfway and protects others from aggression. But
regardless of whether the Menagerie mercenaries catch up with him, Eddie
discovers a killer he cannot kill first in End Of Life #1.
Art
As he leans against a nearby building, Eddie spots people
wielding guns and wearing masks with horns guarding the grand entryway of his
apartment. While Karla's dress and hairstyle evoke 60s fashions, the tablet on
her desk and wall monitors seem modern touches. As his associates wear combat
outfits and balaclavas, Eddie rocks the kill zone with his suit, pop star
hairstyle, neck tattoo, and dangling cigarette.
Either Eddie has tired of paying cleaners to remove
bloodstains, or he chose his red suit to make a statement. Eddie looks at home
in the pink and red vault as he wanders amid the display cases filled with
prized possessions. The pink and purple wall design evokes club interiors in
Miami Vice. While lavishing bright colors on End Of Life #1, Chris O’Halloran
adorns memories with faded colors and portrays a defining event in Eddie's past
with black, white, and gray. Traumatizing realizations fill backgrounds with
yellow, orange, and red, as characters realize that they may pay for an
unintended mistake with their lives.
Becca Carey fills white dialogue balloons with black,
uppercase letters. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices,
and rarely shrink. Larger, lowercase white letters in black fields locate us in
time and space, while uppercase letters in yellow fields identify all Eddie can
call his own. While sound effects enhance fighting and gunfire, they also
showcase Eddie thinking, something he seems likely to do more of as he becomes
the target in The Most Dangerous Game. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story
with us.
Final Thoughts
Despite how his father treated him, Eddie Stallion has
followed in George Stallion’s footsteps. Like his father, Eddie gets a wake-up
call and an opportunity to start over. But that seems unlikely, as an act of
kindness and protection increases the forces arrayed against Eddie in End Of
Life #1.
Rating 9.7/10
To look inside, see my preview of End Of Life #1.
