Bigger Than Capes

Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote
Artist: Alexandre Tefenkgi
Colourist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Jeff Powell

When last we left Edison Hark he had been caught loading the body of his adoptive brother Frankie into the trunk of his car by police officer O’Malley. Needless to say this isn’t a good position for anyone to be found in, let alone a Chinese-American detective from out of town. The tension felt really high and this issue really capitalises on it. Yes, he gets away from O’Malley but that’s just the start of his problems. He’s injured and O’Malley has seen him.

Where is Edison going to go for help? To Victoria Carroway. We know now that the two had a very intimate and close relationship and it seems love never dies or at least never really fades away. Victoria is someone who has known Edison since he was young and she’s the perfect person for him to confide in, about so many things. About his guilt over pushing Frankie leading to his death, his thoughts about the case, but at the same time the tension of their relationship that led Edison to cheat on her to push her away is still there.

Their interactions make for a very satisfying read and there’s a push and pull between them. We have had parts of it focused on before but it’s great to see it laid bare here. It’s also really useful to have someone who knows him so well forcing him to think about certain things, such as his past. We are in Edison Hawk’s head but it’s always useful to have the perspective of someone else, even externally.

The plot also develops. We don’t get all the answers but we do find out more details about Ivy and her relationship with Mason Carroway. Again, it’s great to have another character’s perspective on this. Victoria was there and saw her father interact with Ivy and she shares plenty of information with Edison. She also wants to help and doesn’t take no for an answer. She proves to be useful but there seems to be more there than meets the eye.

As usual I want to keep plot details light because one of the joys of this book is discovering how events unfold for yourself. I will say I am very satisfied with how things are developing and it feels like even if the jigsaw is still in bits we do at least have more pieces. Although I still feel like there’s some shocking revelations to come as this book has constantly surprised me that way.

The art just continues to be so, so good as well. The opening with Edison fighting O’Malley is really well done, showing the absolute brutality of it really well, through closeups and strong action. Then there’s the moment where Edison is clearly thinking about the events so far and his thoughts are shown like intricate plumbing in his head. It’s just so great as a visual representation.

There’s not an uninteresting page in this entire issue. There’s some really intriguing panel work going on with a real range of choices from pages with a lot of panels, to ones that have just a couple of pictures of characters, to others focussing on one thing. It all flows really well and always holds your interest. Several times I went back and reread a page because I loved how it was put together.

The colouring also remains really strong. The opening with the blue of the fight and the bright red of the blood is a really good example of contrast and also helps set the scene. Then there’s the pinks as an injured Edison speaks to Victoria giving a more feminine air. Plus the muted colours of the flashbacks scenes which also have their own colours. It’s all so good.

The Good Asian #6 pushes the plot forward in some really interesting ways. It gives us opportunities to have more insight into Edison Hark’s character and past. We get plenty of plot advancement too. Oh, and needless to say it ends with a bit of a cliff-hanger. This is consistently one of the best crime books I’ve read.

One last thing, the bonus material in the back is always interesting but there’s added interest for me as a crime case is described that directly inspired one of the storylines we saw last issue. Well worth checking out.