The Loose End Vol 1 Review

 

Writer: Dave Dwonch

Artist: Travis Hymel

Colorist: Geraldo Filho

Letterer: Dave Dwonch

Cover Artist: Andy Belanger

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $17.99

Release Date: October 7, 2025

 

Steven's world has gone to hell. Or at least, to Mexico. He didn't want to come here, but his friend Diedrich talked him into it. And unlike Diedrich, who is living the high life as an actor, Steven is still looking for a way into the studio system.

 

Producer Benny Blevins could give Steven a chance to make it in Hollywood as a scriptwriter. But first, Steven will have to live and not die in Mexico. Can Steven help Diedrich, Benny, and the Hollywood elite flee a shooting and return to the United States? And will their adventures make for a great story? Let’s lay our cards on the table, leap into The Loose End Vol 1, and find out!

 

Story

Steven encouraged his friend to pursue his dreams. When Diedrich graduated from Juilliard and began starring in movies, Steven left Utah to join him in Hollywood. But instead of selling scripts and making a name for himself, Steven started drinking and gambling.

 

When Benny Blevins decides to get married, he invites his inner circle to a bachelor party in Mexico. Casino owner Lucca Burlusconi learns that Diedrich invited Steven along in The Loose End Vol 1. After kidnapping the aspiring screenwriter, Lucca says, “Let’s make a deal.” Benny will likely be drinking and taking drugs over the weekend. All Steven must do is slip one little pill into one of Benny's drinks. Benny dies, and no one connects the death with Lucca. In return, Lucca will wipe out Steven’s debt and give him a little extra. But if Benny doesn’t die, Lucca’s goons will pay Steven another visit.

 

Dave Dwonch utilizes Quentin Tarantino's signature out-of-sequence storytelling. Steven's fellow guests on Benny's bachelor bacchanal enjoy alcohol and illegal drugs. While everyone wants to have fun, Johnny Tarantula tries to outcool everyone else. Steven may be on the outside. Still, he sees how they care about each other. Dickie stands up for Johnny. Diedrich ribs Tim when his friend worries about his marital problems. Benny thinks that no woman, including Lucca's daughter, is off-limits. Still, he looks out for his "boys." That includes people like Marcus Perkins, a former actor, whom Benny gave a second career.

 

As in a Quentin Tarantino film, bullets and profanity fly when things go wrong in The Loose End Vol 1. But this is a story about boys who never grow up, and struggle to comprehend how their actions may harm others. It's a comment on how money and fame propel people into a fantasy world where they believe they can have whatever they want, and nothing else matters.

 

Art

Travis Hymel's retro art lends B-movie appeal to this story about stardom and the parties that grease Hollywood's wheels. Diedrich's car slices through traffic on the freeway, while Steven barges a minivan through crowded Mexican streets. Lucca Berlusconi and his goons smile when Steven, tied to his chair, stares up at them with pleading eyes. Yet Benny Blevins smiles and embraces Steven to ease his nervousness. As The Loose End Vol 1 pays homage to classic movies and music videos, a self-aggrandizing flyer garners more attention than its maker desires.

 

Geraldo Filho brightens the fun, breezy art with a limited color palette. Page borders often sync with dominant colors in the panels. Pastels soften the heavy themes of torture, rape, and addiction. As he races to the airport, Steven’s pink shirt links him with memories of Lucca’s torture. The suits Benny and the “boys” wear link him with a man who can give them “the full Mexican experience.” While Steven’s bloody fingers initially loom large, they pale in importance when crimson splatters the pages.

 

Uppercase letters fill white balloons and colored narrative boxes. The words grow bold, italicize for intonation, and rarely shrink. Block letters evoke screenplay descriptions while situating us in time and space. Vibrant sound effects help us hear phone calls, honking vehicles, hand-to-hand combat, gunfire, and explosions, as the rulers of two realms plot to take down a third. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Steven will do anything to make his dream come true. But first, he must kill the goose that could lay his golden egg. The Loose End Vol 1 is a vivid reminder that we all need benefactors, and that the opportunity to prove ourselves may arrive in ways we never imagined.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To look inside see my preview of The Loose End Vol 1.

The Loose End #3 Review

 

Writer & Letterer: Dave Dwonch

Artist: Travis Hymel

Colorist: Geraldo Filho

Editor: Charles Ardai

Cover Artists: Claudia Caranfa, Robert Hack & Travis Hymel

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 16, 2025

 

Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Steven Hollis fled a shootout with a mystery man bleeding out in the minivan. Then Dave Dwonch said Be Kind Rewind and took us back to Steven’s interview with Lucca Burlusconi. The crime boss offered to clear Steven's debt. He even threw in a free pliers manicure! All Lucca asked in return was to see Benny Blevins dead.

 

Now, Dave Dwonch takes us Back To The Future. The survivors of a drug den shootout want to disappear. Johnny Tarantula, the writer, director, and “best-looking drug mule in the western hemisphere," has a bullet in his gut. Tim's friend, Dickey, and Benny's Head of Security, Marcus Perkins, are dead. Will Steven, Diedrich, Tim, Benny, and Johnny survive Que Viva Mexico? And if Steven kills Benny, who will produce his screenplay about “the full Mexican experience?” Let's pack our roller bags, leap into The Loose End #3, and find out!

 

Story

Steven disapproved of Johnny’s taste for the sweet Cokecanya. So, when Johnny and the others sampled "the local flavor," Steven stayed in the van. In The Loose End #3, Johnny wants to conclude his El Dorado Assassins reunion with a hospital visit. Steven's childhood friend Diedrich, who he encouraged to pursue acting, directs Steven to one nearby. But when they arrive, the guys discover they've arrived at a veterinary hospital.

 

 

 

In Dave Dwonch’s fast-paced action plot, the boys feel their time in Mexico ticking away. Steven and the others soon learn that Señor Hernandez wants them dead or alive. The cartel general rules this region of Mexico, and everyone functions as his eyes and ears. So Steven, Benny, Diedrich, and Tim face a dilemma in The Loose End #3. Do they stand by their injured friend or flee for their lives?

 

While the deadly shooting on the set of “Rust” reminded us that accidents can happen, Dave Dwonch compares action heroes with their fictional counterparts. Diedrich, Tim, and Johnny garnered extensive firearms training in preparation for their movie roles. Yet, unlike police and soldiers, the actors aren’t thinking of the consequences of taking a life. Instead, defending their lives delivers the ultimate high as Diedrich, Tim, and Johnny emulate their big-screen heroes.

 

 

 

Art

A headshot left behind in Cisco and Jorge’s apartment gives Señor Hernandez a lead. The police officer’s sweaty face demonstrates the power wielded by the cartel leader. In his pink jacket, Diedrich looks even more of a poseur than he did on the flight to Mexico as he whips a gun around, then does a double take when a woman hides her face behind praying hands. Despite Tim’s continual worrying, he reacts coolly in a crisis. Travis Hymel uses cutouts instead of silhouettes to focus on people in crisis, whether questioned by a cartel general or pursued by his lieutenants.

 

 

 

Geraldo Filho lavishes bright colors on interiors and outdoor scenes. The exception is inside the van. Pink tinges the outside and blends with gray and white inside. The gray and faded tones imbue the Hollywood clan with a newspaper photograph appearance. Johnny proves the standout, shining with healthy skin and a green shirt. The Loose End #3 turns the tables on the Hollywood crowd, with Steven clad in gray while Benny, Diedrich, Tim, and Johnny all display bright colors.

 

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 displaced air, kicked-down doors, physical trauma, and gunfire as blood sprays and two lords of their domains say, "Don't mess with my boys." Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Steven's dilemma started with his addiction to gambling and Lucca Burlusconi’s demand he assassinate Benny Blevins. Lucca alleged that Benny raped his daughter on his casting couch. But despite actions that seem to support Lucca's assertion, Benny holds those around him in sway. His late bodyguard regarded him as a saint. His loyal talent worships Benny like an icon.

 

While the spotlight in The Loose End #3 shares time with everyone in his circle, Benny emerges as a leader. All this reminds us how hard it is to dislike people who care for their friends and produce the entertainment we enjoy. To paraphrase Blink 182, how can we punish people who deliver the best trip, bring us to the show, and carry us home?

 

Rating 9.4/10

The Loose End #2 Review

 

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.