When I started reading Local Man on a close friend’s recommendation, the thing that surprised me wasn’t how Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs managed to create a book that felt like the best of Image’s early offerings – it was how layered the book was. Every revelation led directly into another one, and events that were mentioned in the main story were fleshed out in the backup stories. Even Jack Xaver’s power lets him know “exactly the right choice” to make, as he puts it in his own words, whether it’s following a mystery through to its end or turning any object into a deadly weapon. That continues in Local Man #12, which starts to piece together the latest conspiracy surrounding Farmington.
In fact, there’s a big revelation that stretches back all the way to the first issue, and I can’t believe I didn’t catch it. That’s how good Seeley and Fleecs are – they’ve been setting up a long row of dominos since this series begin, and now they’re starting to tip it over. Jack not only learns how the Faceless Horde is exerting its will over Farmington, but he also learns how his father died and who’s behind it. Fleecs’ art does a great job of building up to this revelation, with a series of panels slowly pushing in him as his expression changes from shock to blank acceptance…and then to full fury on the next page. So does the background, which Brad Simpson and Allen Passalaqua shifting from jet black to bright red in order to underline just how pissed off Jack is.
But I think what’ll get people talking about Local Man #12 is the ending, which shows a major Image hero showing up. By “major” I mean “this is a character who was part of the first wave of Image titles”, and their appearance marks another first for the series – apart from the Local Man: Gold and Local Man: Bad Girls one-shots, no other superheroes have appeared. They’ve been mentioned, but they haven’t appeared. Seeley’s backup story, which focuses on Jack’s former Third Gen member Big Island, also features a straight up homage to another Image comic that had my jaw on the floor.
Ultimately, Local Man #12 pushes its plot forward in a major way while also taking its early Image homages to the next level. It’s that balancing act that makes this a comic worth reading, and earned it a well-deserved Eisner nomination.
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