Destroy All Monsters: A Reckless Book
by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips; colors by Jacob Phillips
Image Comics, 2021
It's 1988, and Ethan Reckless says it's the year he started to feel old, that he'd lost a step. Fortunately he has Anna's help: "You remember her, right...my projectionist-slash-assistant? The girl with blue hair?" As a bonus, we finally get the history of how they met.
But the main story here is a case involving a Los Angeles real estate mogul. Ethan's client is a city councilman whose Black father partnered with the white mogul, who found a way to cut his partner out. Turns out that he had a pattern of doing that, and the councilman wants Ethan to help him ruin him. Ethan declares that the job is right up his alley.
The scheme that follows is complicated, but in the end the councilman ignores Ethan's plan and exposes the mogul early. But Anna's research had revealed surprising things about him, which turned out to be true. Nevertheless it was too late to prevent the dramatic and violent conclusion of the story. Ethan signs the movie theater over to Anna. The final page hints at a possible end to Anna's story in the next installment. Something to look forward to, but as usual this was a satisfying installment on its own.
Replies