“The Numbers Man”
Creative Staff:
Story: Paul Tobin
Art: Alberto Albuquerque
Colors: Mark Englert
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
It’s motorcycles, mayhem and math, as Jack Beans finds the equation to staying alive – and out of prison – to be harder to solve than ever, with the entire Keys crime family and the whole of the U.S. Marshal’s Office getting close to zeroing out this ex-mob accountant! And if that isn’t bad enough, Jack is finding himself way over his head in another area: does…he have a girlfriend now?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
While I’ve had mixed success with Paul Tobin’s works overall this one has definitely clicked for me pretty well with its first two issues and cements it more with this third installment. With A Calculated Man, it’s definitely interesting in what it was doing and the characters but some of the structure for it left me a bit cool at times as it felt more explanatory than anything else at the start but has gone a bit more traditional after that. It did work well in having Alberto Albuquerque on the art duties. I’ve enjoyed some of their work before, notably with Letter 44, so getting something grounded like this definitely makes for a good time in seeing how they handle a crime story. A Calculated Man has a lot going for it in the concept and the opening issue sets up things in a big way.
This issue takes us further into the chaos that Jack is causing with the Keys group and how much of an impact it’s having. Initially, it’s about a meetup with Jack and his handlers in witsec but they know he’s not really coming in as he knows they know he’s been killing Keys members which is obviously bad. But I do like that he does keep his promise to meet with Omaha and Elen but in a way that ensures that he’s safe and that he knows Omaha will understand can’t be turned into a big problem scene. He’s still trying to figure out his way through all of this but he also makes it clear that he knows it involves really aking out the people that are going to kill him. It’s bad all around when you get down to it but even Omaha realizes just the scale of what’s going on as after a month of bodies dropping there have been some surprises as to who is in the Keys.
For Jack, he’s actually doing pretty well when you get down to it. While Hector thinks that he must be incredibly tense and on edge because so many people are after him, Jack’s enjoying some of his downtime between takedowns. And he’s also spending a lot of time on the phone with Vera while wanting to be real with her about things instead of the playful thing that’s going on. The time between the two of them is an absolute delight and really has me wanting to see more of that. But the book is spending its time, rightly so with this story, showing more of how Jack is using his analytical mind in order to eliminate those that are trying to kill him. Hector does make it clear to his people that they have to really shake things up and change everything they do so they don’t fall into patterns for Jack but Jack is, quite frankly, just too good at this. It’s amusing and fun to watch the elaborate things play out while waiting to see when he makes a misstep.
In Summary:
A Calculated Man works its familiar premise well and with a character that hits all the expected notes. That’s not a bad thing when it can be infused with the charm and personality to it that takes it to another place. There’s a lot to like with what’s been built up in the first two issues and that carries through well with this one so that it flows well and you’re in the rhythm of what Jack is doing, how his handlers are coping with it, and what Keys group is doing. It’s got a good nod and wink to the whole thing and it leaves me really enjoying it and looking forward to seeing more of what it can do and become.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: August 24th, 2022
MSRP: $4.99
