Isaac goes further off the rails but even that’s just the start of his grand plans.
Creative Staff:
Writer: David Lapham
Artist: Leonardo Manco
What They Say:
With Election Day looming, the disappearance of five corrupt police officers becomes a tipping point in San Francisco as policemen and vigilanters alike engage in their pursuit. While Lt. Jack Cassidy seeks these officers through legal means, recently retired SFPD veteran Frank Lincoln abandons his long-held moral code in search of his brother, Henry, and Isaac Lordsman, dead-set on doing whatever her must in order to stop their destructive path. However, he may already be too late, as Henry Lincoln’s troubled protege finally spins out of control, leaving unimaginable tragedy in his wake.
The Review:
Watching as the sides have taken shape over the first four issues and really going strong once Henry broke Isaac out of jail, the results of the various actions are really coming home to roost. We’ve seen how the police are ramping up their efforts to stop Henry and Isaac as they’re labeling them full on terrorists at this point, there’s a good sense of buyers remorse on Henry’s part. While he wanted to train Isaac and get him to see the world where he’d be able to better deal with what needs to be done in doling out punishment on the criminal element. But Isaac has gone off the rails by going after corrupt cops, something that certainly makes sense on a level but is the last thing that Henry wanted to have happen. His focus on stopping criminals now has turned him and Isaac into the very thing he wanted to eliminate. Karmic justice indeed.
The relationship between Henry and Isaac hasn’t only frayed but it’s entered an adversarial realm, which isn’t a surprise either considering the way that Isaac is so self assured in what he’s doing. Henry’s regret at things drives him to try and shut things down but you know it won’t go well in the slightest. But you don’t expect to see Isaac pulling out his chains and and showing him that he’s the one that’s in charge. It’s hard to feel sorry for Henry at this point after all that’s happened and what he did to get Isaac out of prison, but you can’t help but to shake your head over it since it was pretty much easily predicted and Henry should have seen it.
While a lot of focus is given to Henry and Isaac, Frank and Jack get a good bit of time as well. It’s nice to see the two of them with their significant others and especially the way that Frank and Wendy have gotten together so well after knowing each other for so long. I really continue to come away liking Wendy the most in this series, which is amusing since she has the least scenes overall. But she’s also the most normal and accessible in her own way. With Frank’s retirement now set, seeing him going through his own version of trying to fix things is predictable, but it leads him to some decent places as he follows up on things he let slide for years in an effort to track down Isaac and Henry. His sense of guilt and what’s happened before is truly compelling him to action, but like Jack, they’re both just too reckless at times and as serious as they’re treating the situation, it’s nowhere near the level that Isaac is.
In Summary:
Damaged ramps things up a bit more with the violence here, especially when it focuses on a brothel that Isaac takes down in brutal and bloody fashion. The main characters all get their appropriate time here and the story is definitely moving forward, but it wants to make the level of violence that Isaac is capable of more visible and blatant. What it does lead to is a very, very good intense little conversation between Jack and Henry though and that helps to cement the way things will go next. The book spends plenty of time with good dialogue, great looking artwork and a sense of the underbelly of the city being dealt with but it doesn’t feel like a strong move forward. It’s getting there and this is a needed step, one that felt like it could have been a bit tighter but not by much. Good stuff and definitely another solid issue that shows a sense of growth and improvement across the board. The series really feels like it’s coming together well.
Grade: B+
Readers Rating: [ratings]
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