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.

The Loose End #1 Review

 

Writer: Dave Dwonch

Artist: Travis Hymel

Cover Artists: Andy Belanger, Robert Hack, Travis Hymel & Kit Wallis

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: February 19, 2025

 

Fleeing a murder scene, Steve races around Mexico City in a minivan while someone he dislikes bleeds out in the back. Despite Tim’s yelling, Steve insists he didn't land them in hot water. How did Steve get into this mess? Let's put our cards on the table, leap into The Loose End #1, and find out!

 

Story

Steve moved to Hollywood to pursue his dreams. Instead, he got addicted to gambling. His friend Diedrich wants to change that. But Diedrich encourages Steve's gambling.

In The Loose End #1, Steve’s world collapses because he owes everyone money. When Lucca Burlusconi learns that Diedrich got Steve an invite to Benny Blevins' bachelor party, he calls Steve's loans.

 

Dave Dwonch begins his story at the end, then slowly reels the projector back to show how Steve got into this dilemma. Steve encouraged his friend Diedrich to pursue his acting career. Diedrich's success in Hollywood inspired Steve to leave home and try his hand at screenwriting. But no one in the studios will take a chance on someone without writing credits. So Diedrich suggests Steve accompany him to Benny Blevin’s party. Perhaps Steve can impress Benny and get the producer to take a chance on him.

 

Steve's debt puts him under other people's power. Lucca Burlusconi owns the debt, which means he owns Steve. The gangster has a beef with Benny, and he’s in the mood for payback. Like Diedrich, his plan could benefit Steve. But first, Steve must murder Benny Blevins in The Loose End #1.

 

Art

Travis Hymel’s retro art lends B Movie appeal to this story about mob involvement in Hollywood. Diedrich's sportscar blurs as it winds through traffic on the freeway. As Diedrich tosses his keys to the valet, poses for selfies with fans, and appears multiple times in the same panel, you feel his exultation in achieving the pinnacle of success. A cloud of smoke rises from Steve's scooter as he arrives at the casino. He frowns at Steve's glowing face and hunches as he walks with his hands in his pockets.

 

Red and black ground the yellow, green, pink, and purple pastels. The limited palette and set pieces lend The Loose End #1 a timeworn quality. Two nine-panel pages show how Steve allows the casino to play him. After riding home beneath purple skies, Steve lies on his bed beside a clock with red LED numbers. Behind him, blue lines and dots on the black wall suggest stars and constellations.

 

Uppercase letters fill white balloons and colored narrative boxes in The Loose End #1. The words grow bold and italicized for intonation and rarely shrink. Vibrant sound effects help us hear phone calls, honking vehicles, punching, and banging on Steve's door. Trigger warnings include gambling, drinking alcohol, and a brief torture scene, while a handwritten note on a green corkboard encourages Steve to be better. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Steve is a good guy, but his poor choices could kill him. The Loose End #1 shows how Steve got in this mess, then skips over the bachelor party that sends him fleeing a bloodbath with Diedrich's costar and a bleeding man. It's a cautionary tale about how poor choices can become habits and how easy it is to run afoul of the fickle entertainment industry.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

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

Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #3 Review

 

Writer: Dan Watters

Artist: Kelsey Ramsay

Colorist: Valentina Bianconi

Letterer: Tyler Smith

Editor: Jonathan H Wilkins

Art Director: Oz Browne

Cover Artists: Abigail Harding; Photo; Robert Hack

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 25, 2024

 

The Doctor tried to rescue Ruby, but instead of letting the TARDIS materialize in the basement, the Scream Sommelier brought it to limbo. So, the Doctor leaves Maria in the TARDIS to face Cybermen and the Scream Sommelier. The dark god refuses to release him from this pocket dimension until the Doctor screams. Can the Cybermen kill the Doctor in this otherworldly place? Will Rose be trapped forever in the last shopping center on Earth? Let's grab our sonic screwdrivers, leap into Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #3, and see!

 

Story

The Doctor and Ruby found a cyber-gauntlet on a crashed spaceship. Its temporal signature led them to Sanctum Shopping And Dining in the 29^th Century. When the Cybermen appeared, the Doctor sensed they weren’t real. The Doctor banished his fear, and the Cybermen vanished. But when the Scream Sommelier summoned the Cybermen to the ground floor, the shoppers' fear empowered the Cyberman to kill. Now, with six of their number dead, the shoppers are looking for someone to blame. They were safe here for three years until the Doctor and Ruby arrived!

 

After the Cybermen chased her, Ruby found two Cancaranka. The human-sized insects fear other races, so they hide underground. In Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #3, Ruby assures the Cancaranka that the shoppers will enhance their lives. When the shoppers activate security, the robots view expelling the troublemakers as the logical option. After solar storms destroyed Earth's atmosphere, nothing remains outside but radiation and intense heat. Ruby might sing along to The Trammps’ “Disco Inferno,” but she doesn’t want to “Burn, Baby, Burn.”

 

Fear propels Dan Watters’ story. The shoppers remained in the mall because they feared leaving Earth. The Cancaranka hide in the basement because other species usually kill them. Ruby’s recurring dream involves losing her mother in a mall. The Cybermen frighten Maria, yet no adults claim her. Is she real or a manifestation of Ruby’s dream? As for the Doctor, he finds shopping malls creepy when they are closed. The automated systems in the last shopping mall on Earth cannot withstand solar storms indefinitely.  

 

 

 

 

Art

The Scream Sommelier hovers above the TARDIS in Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #3. Surrounded by ghostly Cybermen and smoke, his smile reveals pointed teeth. Kelsey Ramsay’s Cancaranka evokes the Mutts that the Marshall and guards such as Cotton destroy in The Mutants. Shoppers gather as six of their number lie on the gleaming floor. Sanctum Security rolls past palm trees and beneath hovering plants. The frozen smiles on their faces seek to calm the shoppers. Yet the robots are as lethal as the Cybermen and provoke fear from Ruby and the Cancaranka.

 

Clad in his technicolor dream shirt, chocolate brown trench coat, and 4^th Doctor scarf, a red mist obscures the 15^th Doctor's shoes as the Scream Sommelier hovers amid neon yellow and green. White dominates the background as the Doctor squats before Maria. The girl clutches her tan teddy bear beneath a monitor dominated by yellow Cybermen and yellow-green smoke. The green Cancaranka’s red eyes shine amid Valentina Bianconi’s blue walls and green pipes beneath the concourse. When the Doctor pulls away a Cyberman’s faceplate, what he sees evokes Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Edvard Munch’s The Scream. 

 

Tyler Smith conjures large black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons, casts off-camera dialogue into white narrative boxes bordered by character-specific colors, and programs a computerized font into octagonal dialogue balloons. Words rarely embolden for emphasis and italicize for fright. While giant rounded Vrooops accompany the TARDIS’ activation, enlarged colorful dialogue threatens to burst a balloon before the welcoming sign for John & Smith. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Fear trapped Humans in a shopping mall when they could have explored the cosmos. As fear makes Cybermen real in a 29^th-century shopping mall, the shoppers forsake their autonomy in exchange for protection. While the Doctor channels the power of What If to escape, the clock is ticking on Ruby’s life. Can he rescue his companion before fear turns the shoppers into murderers?

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To preview interior art see my preview on The Dragon's Cache.