Writers: Tim Seeley & Tony Fleecs
Artists: Tony Fleecs & Tim Seeley
Colorists: Brad Simpson & Felipe Sobreiro
Cover Artists: Tim Seeley, Tony Fleecs, John Stinsman & Brian Reber
Publisher: Image
Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 21, 2024
Inga killed Jack’s father. Jack wants to kill her. His mother, Lila, wants to be a sacrifice. Like the rest of The Faceless Horde, she’d rather have the world she wants than the one she lives in. Can anyone save Farmington? Or will The Price’s death cult destroy Jack and Inga’s hometown? Let's leap into Local Man #13 and find out!
Story
Brian Bucholz got mad. He beat up Jack Xaver. But he also told Jack the truth. His wife, Inga, killed Ben Xaver. Jack once loved Inga. Jack teamed up with Inga to save Farmington from The Price. But in telling Jack that Inga poisoned his dad, Brian shattered Jack’s image of Inga.
Alan Kopecki hoped Crossjack, the former superhero, could save Farmington. Then he learned that Jack and Inga kidnapped his boss, Police Chief Brian Bucholz. Jack has manipulated him and disrespected the rule of law long enough. Brian organizes local law enforcement and sets up a roadblock to apprehend Jack and bar him from returning to Farmington.
Inga loved Jack. Inga loved Farmington. When Jack abandoned her and the future she envisioned, she got mad. Then Inga got even. She conspired with the government and Camo Crusader. Although she used the profits to benefit her town, she harmed a lot of people and scarred her soul. In Local Man #13, Farmington needs her. It's time for Inga to make the right choices and be a hero.
Jack returned to Farmington after Camo Crusader kicked him off Third Gen. His former friends and neighbors regarded him with disdain. Gen Corp’s legal actions forced Jack to adopt an alias. But Jack no longer wishes to be Crossjack. He doesn't even want to be called Local Man. His superhero power is his accuracy. Jack has grown beyond the ability to hit any stationary or moving target. Now, his superpower is zeroing in on the truth, assessing what motivates people, and using reason to help people make healthier choices.
Ironically, a series celebrating '90s comics and superheroes received a Best New Series Eisner nomination in 2024. But then, Tim Seeley & Tony Fleecs blend delicious ironies into every issue. Jack's former friends and neighbors disdain Jack for sleeping with Neon. Yet her husband, Camo Crusader, asked him to have sex with her. Camo Crusader wanted Jack to father the next generation. Yet he killed the teens in 4th Gen to harvest their powers. After Stacy Wohl’s death, a dog everyone adores is the only one capable of containing a hate-filled alien god. An anti-fungal drug killed his father, yet a fungus gave Jack lasting insights into human nature. In Local Man #13, everyone hates Inga, but she can become a hero and undo some of the harm she has caused.
Art
The Price and Lila Xaver walk through a field of chest-high grain. Lila's helmet visor closes when she sees the house where she and Ben raised Jack. Two locals paint over the street sign that once honored the town's heroes. Jack carries Pepper from the storage shed where Inga stored Fourth Gen's bodies. When Jack mentions that he needs weapons, the driver wearing a Metallica shirt opens the tailgate of a truck he named after a novel that inspired people to acts of kindness and respect. Then, he gives Jack the means to hurt people.
Brad Simpson & Felipe Sobreiro lavish attractive colors on Tony Fleecs & Tim Seeley’s art in Local Man #13. Snow falls through the pink and gray sky, while green, blue, and purple decorate dimly lit interiors. As the driver and Jack head toward Farmington, they stop before glaring red and blue. Colors grow bolder and more nuanced when Tony Fleecs pays homage to a ‘90s tradition and forces you to flip the comic sideways to enjoy a superhero shot of Local Man loaded for bear. Brad Simpson honors a fallen hero with yellow and green, while Felipe Sobreiro breathes life into Third Gen’s Air Raider and a famous 90s Image superhero in the closing flashback.
Uppercase black letters fill dialogue balloons. Words embolden for inflection, swell for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Sound effects help us hear Jack storm a firing squad, superheroes battle The Price, and a supernatural entity rise to claim its prize in Local Man #13. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Jack discards the last vestiges of his superhero identity and wields honesty and reason as his weapons in Local Man #13. The villains romanticize the past and fantasize about building a future on faded dreams. Jack’s message: honor the past but embrace today. Make every second count!
Rating 9.6/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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