By: Jim McCann (story), Rodin Esquejo & Dan McDaid (art), Arif Prianto & Lee Loughridge (colors)
The Story: Elle remembers what happened at the subway, and it is not lawsuit-worthy.
The Review: It all comes down to that fateful, rainy night on a subway platform. That is, after all, where this story started. The mystery of exactly what happened to Elle just before she ended up comatose has kept us tantalized for a good long time, and McCann has definitely milked the whole thing for all the intrigue it could spare. You’re at the point where you feel as though once you know the truth of that incident, you’ll know everything.
But even though Elle finally recounts the whole ordeal with firsthand details, you’re chagrined to discover that the subway accident is not everything—not even close. While it’s clear that Elle knows much more about what’s happening to her and why than you’ve previously believed, you the fact that her memories are coming in piecemeal and out of order sets a firm cap on how much McCann chooses to reveal before he’s good and ready.
I support this careful dispersal of information wholeheartedly. After taking the series low and slow for so long, it feels almost unnatural to suddenly receive so many revelations all at once: Elle putting herself in the hospital, Eddie’s true family allegiance, Dr. Gellar’s contribution to Jairus, and the purpose of Jairus itself. Talk about overload. If McCann didn’t choose to hold something back, Mind the Gap would be in serious danger of exploding from too much, too soon. As it is, the series already feels frantic and rushed in comparison to its prior stately pace.
Setting that aside, you do appreciate the fresh batch of facts to mull on and if anything, they spawn more questions even as they shut some down. Sure, Gellar’s description of what Jairus does is crystal-clear (“That’s exactly what Jairus is. Freezing Elle and bringing her back to life.”), but that doesn’t come close to explaining all the other weirdness we’ve seen from Elle. What about the Garden? What about the out-of-body experiences and possessions? What about that charming psychic bloke Bobby? What about Crenshaw and Miles? How and where do all they all fit in? And most importantly, why Elle?
Frankly, all the historical background McCann offers us in this issue does nothing to address any of these points. At best, it somewhat establishes the motivations behind Jairus, even if the motivations are more couched in personal pride and glory than sentiment. Even after all the flashbacks, the Fifth and his comrades seem like distant, if mildly interesting, strangers to the story. You could almost do without them, honestly. We already have plenty of compelling antagonists and dark horses in the mix without these anti-Nazi German scientists muddling things up.
I never much liked McDaid’s work. It looked silly and cartoonish back in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #10 and it looks only slightly less so now. His attempts to convey drama by draping characters half in shadow, like they just had ink poured on them, looks unsubtle and exaggerated, especially when compared to the sophisticated work of his colleague on this issue. Esquejo has many talents, but the one you appreciate most is his attention to body language and facial expression. Eddie makes the perfect character study in this regard. No matter what scene you catch him in, he always retains that cockiness which is so much a part of his personality, but through it you can see all the other shades of emotion: playfulness, anxiety, concern, affection, anger, and suspicion. That’s pretty heavy lifting for any comic book artist.
Conclusion: The pacing feels a little off and there is the matter of McDaid’s art, which feels out of place even by the standards of Mind the Gap’s usual guest artists. Still, it’s a well-crafted read, and it leaves you with much to think about.
Grade: B
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – As much as I love Eddie’s general pompousness, I think I may love Dr. Gellar even more for her ability to instantly shut it down: “Kid, stop. You sound ridiculous.”
– Did anybody else find it sweet but also a little creepy when Elle started tugging/stroking at Crenshaw’s beard?