Betrayed by Monsieur Mallah and the Brain, Peacemaker finds himself at a dive bar in the middle of nowhere. Unable to predict the near Shyamalan-level twist, Christopher Smith is bleeding out from the gunshot wounds dealt by the villainous meta-gorilla. With only the women’s restroom contents at his disposal, Peacemaker must be creative to survive. Will the former Suicide Squad member get back on his feet and rescue his fancy little gentleman? Or is Bruce Wayne destined to live out his days with the Brain? One thing is for sure: Christopher Smith is at a new low.
DC Comics
“I’m becoming aware that I must be incredibly unlikable. No one wants to spend any time with or near me.”
Brutal, hilarious, and often brutally hilarious, Peacemaker Tries Hard #3 is drenched with action and humor. Although this book slows the story’s pace to a crawl, it is also some of the most fun I’ve had reading in a long time. The creative team is clearly firing on all cylinders as humor permeates nearly every sequence with each line or dialogue or panel of artwork. That’s not to say that it’s all fun and games, as Starks’ dark opening sequence presents a theme for the story to follow. However, this issue is at its best when finding the perfect marriage between action and comedy.
Beginning with a flashback to Christopher Smith’s past, Starks provides us with some insight into Peacemaker’s relationship with his father. This sequence finds a much younger Peacemaker beaten and bruised following an encounter with some bike thieves. Starks uses this moment to perfection as he draws a parallel to Peacemaker’s current circumstances and gives the reader some much-needed insight into Christopher Smith’s mind. During the flashback, Peacemaker begs his father to help him get his bike back. Unfortunately, his father is less than willing to help, expressing complete humiliation and claiming, “If a man can’t handle his own business, he’s as useless as a turd in a toilet bowl.”
Despite the humorous, yet insensitive, sentiment, it’s impossible not to feel the weight of his father’s unreasonable reaction. Moreover, it’s easy to understand the depths to which Peacemaker has fallen given his recent failure to handle his own business and save Bruce Wayne. He can still hear his father’s voice telling him that he’s completely and utterly useless.
DC Comics
“Maybe I do suck, but I don’t suck compared to these guys…”
However, Starks does an excellent job of never allowing the book to become too serious or depressing as he perfectly imbues humor throughout every sequence. The rest of the issue follows Peacemaker getting his groove back by thrashing the Demolition Team in an impressive bar brawl. Despite bringing the overarching story to a crawl, it’s an impressive battle that finds the perfect marriage between action and comedy.
Starks’ script perfectly nails the timing of each punchline as Peacemaker tears through the Demolition team. Smaller moments, like Smith’s matter-of-fact declaration of a certain character’s death during the brawl, left me laughing out loud. Starks does an exceptional job of capturing John Cena’s voice, adding an extra layer of enjoyment to each joke.
However, these sequences would not be as effective without the effort of the entire art team. Pugh’s artwork combined with Jordie Bellaire’s Colors and Becca Carey’s letters create big blockbuster action that is a feast for the eyes. Each member of the art team does an excellent job conveying each humorous action sequence. I couldn’t help but smile when Peacemaker blinds one villain with a glass of orange juice and then bombards another with a glass ashtray. This moment is punctuated with a pseudo-onomatopoeia declaring, “EASY KNOCKOUT!” Peacemaker Tries Hard! #3 oozes with this type of moment. As a result, it is impossible not to forgive the creators for this little detour from the overarching plot.
Starks does an excellent job of thematically bookending this issue with yet another sequence parallel to this issue’s flashback. Because Smith broke the conditions of his parole, Richard has returned to take him back to prison. However, Starks does an excellent job of subverting our expectations by inverting Richard’s reaction to Peacemaker’s pleas for help. At this moment, Richard serves as a father figure promising to help Smith save his dog from the clutches of the Brain. Because of their relationship from previous issues, I am excited to see this new team in action in the next installment of this buddy-cop comedy.
Peacemaker Tries Hard #3 is brutal, hilarious, and often brutally hilarious. Although this book slows the overarching narrative to a crawl, it is also one of the most fun issues that I have read in a long time. The creative team is clearly firing on all cylinders as humor oozes from each line of dialogue and every panel of artwork. That’s not to say that it’s all fun and games, as Starks’ dark opening sequence presents a thematic thread for the story to follow. However, this tale is at its best when finding the perfect marriage between action and comedy.
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