For some people, the golden years are when you putter around the house in your slippers, petting your tiny dog, and reading tattered paperbacks from the library. For our hero, he’s shooting punks in the face like Dirty Harry at 75 and saving those who can’t save themselves. It’s Last Contract #2 on today’s edition of Is It Good!
The Last Contract #2 (BOOM! Studios)
Most geezers can’t jump off a curb, and he’s cool with rooftops?
Real talk: I’m getting old. I’ve got a kid, and another due any day, and when I get down on the floor to play Batman and Robin with my lil’ guy my knees pop like a machine gun. I need you all to know this before I review a book about an old fart who is one bad mamajama, because my hero worship flag is up a bit.
Our ancient hitman—who I think has no name, but I can’t be sure because I’m old and can’t remember—is on the road. His run-in with the punk amateur hitmen from issue one has started him on this quest to find out who’s digging up the past and killing again, only now he’s got someone to protect as well.
“Also, your hair sucks.”
This issue feels like a storyboard for a fantastic crime drama. For some reason, A History of Violence springs to mind, with the bubbling anger under the surface of the mobsters and the no-nonsense lethality of our Hitman contrasting each other very pointedly. Seeing the majority of our characters work on emotion, intuition and guesswork while our protagonist seems to run on pure professional instinct is fantastic.
Is It Good?
I’m sold on this book. Yes, the old man is pretty much Clint Eastwood in bedroom slippers. Yes, the plot seems to be moving down a predictable path a la John Wick, but I am enjoying the ride. It really does bring to mind those gritty 1970s crime movies, like French Connection et al, where the artwork really makes you feel like everything is a little bit dirty and damp and everyone has their demons.
The dialog makes this book hum.
Overall, I recommend this book to everyone. It’s brutal and pulls no punches, and might make you look at the old guys in the park feeding the pigeons with a bit more respect. After all, one of them just might be a retired badass looking for an excuse.
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