Local Man #6 Review

 

Writer: Tim Seeley & Tony Fleecs

Artist: Tim Seeley & Tony Fleecs

Colorist: Brad Simpson & Felipe Sobreiro

Cover Artists: Tim Seeley, Tony Fleecs, Marat Mychaels & Brian Reber

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 18, 2023

 

Jack visits Inga at her restaurant. His father surprises him by delivering fresh produce from his garden. Then someone starts shooting. Why can't Jack catch a break? Let's leap into Local Man #6 and find out!

 

Story

Jack can’t openly protect his hometown. So he wears a balaclava and adopts the moniker Local Man. But everyone knows he's CrossJack, dismissed from the Third Gen superhero team. The vigilante has #Truth written on his body armor. He believes Camo Crusader was God's servant. As such, he's dutybound to kill his slayer.

 

After the incident at Inga's restaurant, Police Chief Brian Bucholz assures Jack no one knows he killed Camo Crusader apart from his wife and Officer Kopecki. He asks Jack to question a group of local hippies about a mysterious death. He needs Jack's help, as the hippies won't talk to the police.

 

Bucholz radioed that Jack killed Camo Crusader in issue #4. When Third Gen arrived in issue #5, they knew Jack had killed Camo. So it seems odd that Jack would ask Bucholz for reassurance, and the Police Chief would believe the information contained. But unlike the vigilante #Truth, who "knew" everything, Jack realizes that he’s been clueless about things for most of his life. And Bucholz admits he’s a peacekeeper, not a detective.

 

Inga's the only successful business owner in Farmington. She hides her government project from her husband and manipulates Jack by sleeping with him. She would never knowingly injure the student who died. But could her experiments involving the Ark of the Covenant have somehow caused the girl’s death? Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs serve far more than Jack's beloved Morning Quickie in Local Man #6, the first installment of their new Dry Season story arc.

 

Art

Tony Fleecs breathes life into Farmington, a town where buses no longer run, and the only man who gives Jack rides disparages him. Fleecs communicates the vibe of these isolated communities, where people get by and anyone with aspirations or potential leaves. He captures the inhabitants’ humanity and camaraderie: Bucholz's openness, Officer Kopecki’s fragile poise, and Ben's ease with Inga versus his tense relationship with his son. Through Inga's body language and how she organizes her restaurant, Fleecs helps us believe she could manage far more. His final haunting scene, when Local Man #6 verges from superhero to horror comic, is not to be missed.

 

Brad Simpson's soft, appealing coloring for this first story shows highlights and shadows. Background colors change to enhance the energy and emotions involved.

 

Tim Seeley portrays Inga’s past in his Local Man #6 backup story. He communicates Inga’s love for Jack, how his departure shook her, and her determination to make her life count. Aside from the brightly colored Third Gen scenes, Felipe Sobreiro colors Tim’s inks in blue and white.

 

While the lettering duties go uncredited, Local Man #6 is easy to read. Uppercase letters inhabit dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes in the main story, while lowercase letters fill boxes in the backup. Sound effects enhance this small-town mystery involving a disgraced superhero helping others, even if they don’t admire him.

 

Final Thoughts

While a superhero's death rocks the world, Jack investigates the mysterious death of a promising student and entrepreneur. Yet the death of a crazed vigilante feels the most unsettling in Local Man #6. 

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.