Deep State delves into one of the biggest conspiracies of the modern era. Is it good?
Deep State #6 (BOOM! Studios)
Harrow and Brand visit an elderly woman who immediately becomes hostile and brooding. This foul demeanor isn’t due to her NCIS marathon being interrupted, though. It turns out she and a strangely ageless Harrow were behind the assassination of President Kennedy.
Is It Good?
Now this is more like it.
I don’t really want to delve into the plot very much here, and that’s a good thing. This issue is a treasure trove of narratives for JFK assassination buffs. We’re not just talking magic bullet explanations (although they do have one that is exceptionally cool). All types of cool ideas and theories get explored. Oswald’s personality quirks, his motivations, his failings… there’s even a part about the attempted assassination of Edwin Walker. If you don’t know who that is, then you’ve clearly not gone very far down the 11/22/63 rabbit hole (or read the incredible novel of the same name by Stephen King).
Justin Jordan also does a superb job injecting the issue with occasional beats of dark humor, which helps keep this tried and true source of speculative fiction from ever feeling stale. The predictably good interactions between Harrow and Brand also work to keep series’ overall mythology moving forward.
Another big reason this issue stands out from the others is the consistently gorgeous artwork of Ariela Kristantina. In the past, I’ve felt her work could go from one page being brilliant to another looking like it was done for a speed challenge. But in this one, just about every page is exceptionally rendered. Colorist Ben Wilsonham definitely aids things with some great lighting textures, too.
Maybe I’m being selfish, but this issue is the series I want. Sure, there wasn’t a ton of action, but the whole thing so dang good and well-paced. Maybe the creative team is finding their footing…maybe I’m just finally coming around… but Deep State #6 might be the magic bullet this title needs.
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