A Trio of Deuces in Blink, Patrick Todd and A Calculated Man

We go deeper into the prison of our own construction and get a sense of what first opened the door in Blink #2, written by Christopher Sebela, drawn by Hayden Sherman, colored by Nick Filardi, lettered by Frank Cvetkovic and published by Oni Press.

He’s not right, certainly, but what’s to blame? The bodies piling up behind him? The law? His ailing mom? Or the creepy guy who might be his father? Let’s find out in There’s Something Wrong with Patrick Todd #2, written by Ed Brisson, drawn by Gavin Guidry, colored by Chris O’Halloran, lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and published by AfterShock.

We can’t do advanced calculus, but Jack Beans certainly can. He can do that and a shit ton more in A Calculated Man #2, written by Paul Tobin, drawn by Alberto Alburquerque, colored by Mark Englert, lettered by Taylor Esposito and published by AfterShock.

Will Nevin: We may still have leftover Halloween candy to pick through, but ’round these parts, we’re otherwise back to normal — which means crime, AfterShock books and the other staples our Refrigerator Raiders have come to love about *motions* whatever this is that we do. Also, this is even more Leftover-y than usual on account of doing three #2 follow-ups on series we started but are only now getting back to.

As always, time has no meaning here.

Ian Gregory: Time means even less given that you wrote those words shortly after Halloween, and here I am responding a full week later. That’s the secret of how the sausage gets made, folks: It doesn’t.

Will: Hold on a second, Ian — the sausage gets made. For sure. It just might give you trichinosis when you eat it.

Blink #2: Trapped in a Maze of Your Own Obsessions

Will: Sometimes I like to build to the Freshest Chicken of the Week. Sometimes I like to start and open with AfterShock books. This is neither of those times. I still can’t neatly summarize this book (found footage horror + weird tech cult stuff?), but I thought this issue was stronger than the first — mostly because we got right to the good shit. This thing here? It’s got vibes for days, Ian.

Ian: I liked the first issue for setting up Wren as a character, and here we get to see a little glimpse of how she had been made that way. Even if the first issue was a “slow start,” I think it was crucial in making us care about Wren and understand her fixation. Why don’t horror movie characters just leave the movie? Here, it’s because Blink has been stuck in Wren’s head for so long, she has no choice but to dive deeper.

Will: The art was a real highlight and a strong reason why this is so successful; Sherman seems totally unbound, and while that does occasionally result in some readability issues (there was one two-page spread in particular that I was unsure of which way to go), on the whole, the experimental feel to the layouts is exciting.

Ian: The layouts were scattered, but the payoff on the architecture was so worth it. The page of Wren and Joel wandering through the labyrinth was excellent, as was the arrival in the massive underground church. I love the pages of the television screens, and the way the layouts narrow and twist as Wren loses her grasp on reality. Visually, this whole issue is such a treat.

Will: So where do you think the story is going? Some kind of hedonism/body modification cult gone wrong? Whatever the project Blink is/was, I’m interested to find out.

Ian: There’s something about the cult leader’s fixation on cameras and human nature that makes me wonder if he was trying to reduce humans to their basest form — first, by giving them absolute freedom and eliminating currency, and second by giving them absolute restriction. I expect the cult leader was disappointed by how few changes actually took place, and took drastic action to provoke the changes he wanted.

Will: Sounds unnerving as hell.

There’s Something Wrong With Patrick Todd #2: We Love It When a Plan Falls Apart

Will: Two #2s, two-for-two on second issues being stronger than debuts. We see a bit more of how the protagonist functions beyond his convincing-crooks-to-rob-banks MO, get a sense of his ethics and spend some time with his mom and (maybe) his dad. This might have more supernatural trappings than, say, something like Newburn, but Brisson can write himself a crime comic.

Ian: The mounting tension in this issue is what makes it work so well. We’re coming at this story from a bunch of different angles that are gradually converging. It gives the feeling of a house of cards about to crumble, which makes sense given how poorly thought-out Patrick Todd’s plan is. None of this was sustainable, and I’m looking forward to seeing it all collapse.

Will: The art is solid, maybe a little bland (but not everything can be Blink), but since we’re hitting all the classics in this edition, let me ONCE AGAIN complain about letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Normally he offends my sense of “being able to not think about lettering” by being too extra, and while he didn’t go all that overboard here, it was still enough to piss me off when — in one speech balloon — to show emphasis/volume/emotion he used: 1) irregular borders, 2) bolding, 3) bolding but bigger, 4) orange and 5) orange but bigger (with an interrobang). Ian, I’m so tired. Why do people (publishers, writer/artists, anyone not me) like this?

Ian: I didn’t have any complaints about the lettering, but upon rereading I was bothered by the use of both all-caps and title case in a single balloon. That looks weird, but the rest just didn’t ping on my radar. I do want to shout out Chris O’Halloran’s colors on this issue, in particular the stark darkness that the “father” is always cast in, and the strong visual continuity between these pages. Most of these backgrounds are blue or yellow, and it gives the book a really nice consistent color identity.

Will: Finally, I’ve got a story beat that went sour for me: When Todd is in the “totally not Radio Shack” getting a computer (why he needs a computer so badly is another thing for another day), he convinces (via his spoopy powers) an employee to give it to him — yet a mall cop sees him from 50+ feet away and fingers him for theft. Now, it *could* have been Todd getting all of the money in the register, and while that makes sense in my head, there’s nothing in the one panel we get that tells that story. Or did I just read that wrong? (Always a possibility.)

Ian: Oh my god, exactly, I had the same issue. In fact, he sees Todd getting bagged and checked out at the front desk — how does any of that look even remotely suspicious? Plus, the security guard is eyeing him from literally across the mall. I’m not usually one to harp on plot holes, but if something jumps out at me in the moment, then clearly there’s a problem.

A Calculated Man #2: Beans, Beans, The Magical Man

Will: Ian, this book might be growing on me, but I’m still fairly soft on it — something about the comedy tone and making Jack Beans an unstoppable genius *and* a murderer/guy violently taking revenge on the mob seems a bit much. Why not have him design stupidly complicated plots in which he doesn’t have to get his hands dirty? Seems like that would be much closer to the ethos this book projects. Anywho, where do you stand on it as a whole now that we’ve got a second issue to ponder?

Ian: I was definitely more of a fan than you were of the first issue, but I do agree that this one is a step up. You’re right that it’s strange how much effort has to go into placing Beans at the scene of the crime — there’s that little montage describing all the skills he’s had to pick up — when it would make much more sense for him to take a less active role. That said, it does give this book a nice little action flair, and I suppose it’s pleasing to see a “perfect crime,” even if in the end he messes up because he can’t let the wine hit the ground, defeated by his own genius, as it were.

Will: The female love interest … do you think she’s running a honey pot? Is she going to be the *one* thing that fucks up whatever Mr. Beans is trying to do?

Ian: You’re right that she seems a little too cool, but we do see her going through a lot of her day and not doing anything suspicious. I suspect she’ll become a loose thread that will force Beans to play fast and loose with his methods, and maybe even drive him to tell a lie. I did, however, like her character, because it felt like she had her own sense of humor and tics that made her unique. If she’s going to end up a hostage love interest, at least she’s one with actual characterization.

Will: Finally, I think whatever this did, it did the opposite of Blink #2 — in that we had so much exposition/backstory with the new agent, it felt like it took an eternity to get to the good stuff.

Ian: Yes, the extended interview with the new witness protection agent was a little odd. I sort of felt as though we had enough time and effort spent on establishing Beans as a character in issue #1, and this issue was rehashing a lot of what we already knew, to remind us that he was so quirky and in certain ways. It felt a little like filling time until the end of the issue, because Tobin knew he had to hit that cliffhanger.

Will: Finally — for real this time — what’s the #3 you’re most looking forward to?

Ian: Tough call, but I think it’s got to be Blink. I’m just so curious about where it’s headed, and the art is outrageous.

Does This Smell OK?

Sound Effects Watch: In Patrick Todd, we get a nice “hurrkkk” vomit effect that’s green and sludgy.
Rapid fire questions:
- Did you ever see The Blair Witch Project? What did you think about it?
  - Will: Uhhh … I think I saw it once? Obviously didn’t leave much of an impression.
  - Ian: This one passed me by.
- What’s your favorite piece of Canadian trivia?
  - Will: The Articles of Confederation actually included a mechanism for admitting Canada into the Union if they also made the break from England. Cowards.
  - Ian: In the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, an American diplomat possibly faked a map from Ben Franklin in order to win Senate approval for a treaty that made a trade of Canadian and American land.
- What was the level of math that made you say, “Nope. That’s enough for me.”?
  - Will: Calc II. Definitely too much math for me.
  - Ian: What a coincidence — I also bailed out in Calc II. God never meant us to know what’s happening in a curve.
    - Will: Curves ain’t real.
Casserole of the Week: Mom’s Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole. Not *my* mom, no, but this recipe (unlike others) gets the point that a casserole should be as easy as possible. Why the fuck would I want a “NO CANNED SOUP!” version of this? That’s so dumb, you don’t even get a link, Chef Savvy. Anywho, this is a dish that’ll stick to your bones … and probably your colon if you add the right amount of cheese (which is too much).
This Brazilian commercial from noodle brand Nissin Foods encouraging consumers to blend ramen with leftovers GOES PLACES with a QUICKNESS.
Got a leftover problem? Bears’ll take care of it.
If you’re still struggling with a glut of Halloween candy, this article from NJ.com has a roundup on what you can do with it, including donating it to troops or dentists. (Gonna have to give the dentists a side eye on that one.)