Last issue brought some big reveals, and gave us an idea as to killer’s identity – or at the very least, his motivations. Now it’s down Detective Acevedo and her very unusual sidekick to delve deeper into the mystery.
Written by Nick Spencer
Illustrated by Riley Rossmo“A great weeping.”
After getting a couple extremely helpful hints from Fillmore last issue, Detective Acevedo is that much closer to tracking down a serial murder. Now, in a course of action that’s beginning to stretch the limits of credibility, she’s taking Fillmore with her to crime scenes and asking for his direct input. Of course, by the end of the issue, we’ve got tangible proof that this wasn’t a very good idea; but as to how a seasoned investigator could have been so naive as to trust this dude in the first place, well, you’ve got us there.
Meanwhile, the expected flashbacks patterned across the issue give us a little look at the tail end of Madder Red’s recovery, where the team taking care of his reformation decides that it’s time to set him free. These flashbacks have routinely been so wildly disturbing as to be cartoonish, and these are no exception. The outright brutality on show here as Madder Red undergoes a final test begs the question as to who this organization is, and where on earth they got the authorization and the means to go about this treatment, but for the moment at least, there are no answers in sight. More than anything, these flashbacks seem to provide the quota of violent n’ crazy content for each issue, leaving the more subtle moments for the present day.
Back in that present, Fillmore’s got some fabulous throwaway lines, exemplifying that disquieting sort of innocence that makes him such a compelling character. Acevedo’s questionable judgment aside, there’s a nice dynamic between these two characters, a kind of collaborative antagonism as they puzzle out the details of the mystery. It would be a little more interesting to see some more detective work on Acevedo’s end – most of the discoveries so far have been Fillmore’s – but their back-and-forth dialogue is energetic and engaging, making the ultimate consequence of their collaboration in this issue all the more appreciably ironic.
The only real miss-step in terms of writing in this issue happens at the end, where we’re given a couple panels that explain what went on earlier in the issue. It’s pretty clear what happened without these, and in a relatively slow-paced series, it’s the first moment that actually feels like filler. Nick Spencer’s writing tends to be remarkable for its intelligence, and for its tendency not to spell everything out for you right away, so this “Did you catch what he did there?” aside is more than a little jarring.
Rossmo’s portrayal of these characters is playful and interesting, capturing the awkwardness of their interaction as well as Acevedo’s incredulity and surprise at her own actions. There’s also quite a bit of texturing going on here, even for Rossmo: fingerprints are discernible in some of the extraneous splotches of ink that muddy up Fillmore’s world, and ink spatters punctuate almost every panel. Jean-Paul Csuka’s colours even pick up some of these textures, repeating them in more subtle ways. It’s kind of a neat device, and gestures toward the mood of the series as a whole; the shadows are the most interesting part.
This book is settling down into an improbable and slightly silly kind of Odd Couple groove, and while it’s as upsetting and disturbing as always, it’s become the kind of book where you have an idea what to expect with each issue. It’s a little sad that Rossmo is leaving now, just as the series finds a kind of pace (“a great weeping” indeed), but if Frazer Irving’s covers are any indication, we’re going to be okay. Just as Spencer has established a certain rhythm with the scripts, Rossmo has fleshed out this universe with some truly iconic images – a great foundation for any artist who takes up the series to build on, whether it’s Irving with the covers or newcomer Ryan Browne with the interiors. It’s likely that “Bedlam” is just going to keep being “Bedlam” – for better or for worse.
Final Verdict: 7.9 – Buy
