Writer & Letterer: Dave Dwonch
Artist: Travis Hymel
Colorist: Geraldo Filho
Cover Artists: Claudia Caranfa, Robert Hack & Travis Hymel
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 19, 2025
Steven Hollis stands between a rock and a hard place. Crime boss Lucca Burlusconi wants Benny Blevins dead. Movie star Diedrich Ryan invited Steven to Benny’s bachelor party. All Steven must do is slip one little pill into the movie producer's drink, and the crime boss will erase his debt and give him ten grand in cash.
Killing Benny won’t help his screenwriting prospects in Hollywood, but at least Steven won’t get evicted from his apartment. Easy peasy, right? So why does Steven end up fleeing a murder scene in Mexico City? Let's pack our roller bags, leap into The Loose End #2, and find out!
Story
Steven encouraged Diedrich to pursue his dreams. So after The Talented Arguile Arbuckle became last year’s blockbuster, Diedrich sought a way to reward his friend. Benny’s bachelor bash for his star actors Diedrich and Tim seems the perfect opportunity. Better yet, when Steven arrives at John Wayne Airport, Benny welcomes Steven with a hug. All of which reminds Steven that the pill in his pocket will kill the movie producer.
While Steven has struggled to make ends meet, Diedrich has been living his dreams. He rarely auditions for roles, drives an exotic sports car, and happily poses for selfies with fans. He promises Steven a lavish weekend in sunny Mexico. Instead, the group hangs out by Benny’s pool, drinking and taking drugs in The Loose End #2.
Dave Dwonch’s story contrasts the illusion of the Hollywood elite with reality. Steven feels like an outsider at Benny's home. Of everyone there, Steven identifies with Benny's bodyguard, Marcus Perkins. He is the voice of reason when Diedrich and the others decide to take their party into the streets. When Steven sides with Marcus, Benny encourages Steven to live a little and consider it research for a script.
The Loose End #2 feels like an accident waiting to happen. Which it is, as the first issue started with how this story ends. Everyone looks down on Steven because he refuses to play along with their juvenile antics. But in the end, Steven is the one Benny, Diedrich, and the others look to when they get in trouble.
Art
Steven arrives at the airport, pulling his roller bag with his bandaged fingers. Clad in a Hawaiian shirt and beige shorts, he meets Diedrich, Benny, and the others dressed like Sonny Crockett clones. The white-clad friends sit and drink together on the plane. Steven seeks a seat beside Marcus, who tunes out the group’s conversation with his earbuds. While everyone on the airplane has good things to say about Benny, the movie producer’s actions show why Lucca Burlusconi wants him dead.
Geraldo Filho lavishes a palette of bright colors on Travis Hymel’s art in The Loose End #2. Memories appear in Black & White, while a red pill in a glass vial hides in Steven’s pocket. Steven’s lavender shirt underscores how the others regard him when he doesn’t want to get involved in Risky Business. The yellow sky, green pool, and sickly green hills glimpsed through a window foretell later snapshots from the party featuring purple people.
Uppercase letters fill white balloons and colored narrative boxes. The words grow bold and italicized for intonation and shrink for lowered voices. Dave Dwonch’s sound effects help us hear gunfire drown out the laughter and schoolboy antics, which ends with someone bleeding out in the back of the panel van. Trigger warnings include hard partying, language, and acts that would enrage the Me Too Movement. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
While Steven Hollis encouraged Diedrich Ryan to be the best version of himself, Hollywood has brought out the worst in him. As his movie star friend tries to repay him with a shot at the big time, Steven wonders if he wants to be a big success in The Loose End #2.
Rating 9.6/10
For more covers and a look inside see my preview of The Loose End #2.
No comments:
Post a Comment