After an explosive conclusion to its last story arc a few months ago, Postal took a brief hiatus. Now it’s finally back, this time with Agent Bremble getting dangerously close to the truth about Eden and Mark getting dangerously close to Molly.
As if all that weren’t crazy enough, it looks like Mark may also be temporarily taking over for his mom as mayor of Eden while she seeks medical treatment. Hell of a time to be falling in love with an imprisoned psycho, right?
Postal #17 (Top Cow Productions)
Observations
- Nothing like searching for a homicidal maniac and finding a room full of kids and a nice lady with a shotgun instead.
- Molly might be the world’s most honest sociopath—which somehow makes her even more terrifying.
- Speaking of being honest, this mother-son talk between Mark and Laura is all types of brutal.
- Yeah, that wig’s not doing it for me either.
- I think I finally became a fan of Agent Bremble. Too bad he’s about to get his ass kicked from here to kingdom come.
- GOOD LORD!
- Mark might end up being a badass mayor.
Is It Good?
Considering that Nailbiter is one of my favorite books, you’d think I’d be somewhat desensitized to gore. So hats off to artist Isaac Goodhart and colorist K. Michael Russell for making me almost lose my lunch in the span of two panels.
I mean that as a compliment, by the way.
My own intestinal issues aside, Goodhart’s pencils continue to get better with each issue. Postal #17 uses a ton of facial close ups, which would be a daunting task for any artist. Goodhart handles each one beautifully, driving home the script’s series of intensely personal interactions with perfectly rendered reactions.
K. Michael Russell also deserves a lot of credit for the multitude of lighting that’s utilized from one scene to the next. The last few pages in particular are lit in a way that emphasizes just how much things are starting to change.
Speaking of those last few pages, they are by far the best part of Bryan Hill’s excellent script. As readers, we’ve become so comfortable with Mark that it’s easy to forget how concrete his reasoning is. Combine that with his bizarre upbringing (a point driven home via a brutal conversation with his mother), his superior intellect, and the violent environment he calls home, and it should come as no surprise that Mark will do whatever he deems most effective/efficient to keep Eden safe—moral nuances be damned.
In addition to another Mark and Molly scene (which are always good), we also get to see Agent Bremble stumble upon a surprising aspect of Isaac’s life away from Eden…which I’m still not buying. After everything we’ve learned about Eden’s founder, this new revelation feels like more of a red herring than a development. That being said, I trust Hill to make it pay off in the end. It’s also great getting to see Bremble completely deconstruct—and still struggle against—basic brainwashing techniques.
Once again, Postal kicks off a new story arc that already looks like it could top the fantastic previous chapter. If this book’s not on your pull list by now, then you’re crazier than Molly—and that is most definitely not a compliment.
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