Greg Rucka, Eduardo Risso and Steve Buccellato on deck this month. Rucka is a crime novelist-turned-comics writer who was coming up around the same time as Bendis, Mack and their kinda guys. I believe he was writing Wolverine as this came out, or maybe had just finished. Risso is a great draftsman who’s done a lot of comics in Europe, and also the long running crime comic 100 Bullets at DC Vertigo. So, naturally, they’re turning their focus on the underworld.
Very much a different kind of comic than issues 1-3. That’s the point, tho. Eduardo Risso’s bold, simple linework has always been so cool. The new phone call tells Tom that Richie is being sent with a car. Tom decides to take a shower. As he’s getting dressed, Shelly reiterates that it’s not fair, and says he’ll kill Tom. Tom says yeah, he will, and can he get a cup of coffee before he goes?
Tom drinks his coffee, then Shelly brings him a big knife. They argue about him just going to his death, but he says they knew this was the deal from the start. Then the doorbell rings. Richie escorts Tom to the car, and they make small talk as they drive into the city. Richie apparently messed something up, too, but he says he’s been given a second chance because he’s so young.
Tom tucks the gun in his belt and heads inside. A receptionist allows him in, and a tense, elevator ride follows. Tom is faced with 2 huge, ornate double doors, knocks, and is bade to enter.
Kingpin dialing the phone with a pen because his fingers are so big is an incredible bit of detail. I wonder whose idea it was, Greg or Eduardo. Well, there you go. Just a little bit of atmosphere. A one-act play. Was that worth $3? I’m not really sure. But you get to see some top line creators work, and I think this might even be Eduardo Risso’s entire Marvel bibliography. That’s certainly worth something.