The story of Good As Dead so far has been one of momentum.
The Laphams (David and Maria) started off strong enough with issue #1 — even despite some clear structural issues. Issue #2, meanwhile, was a huge surge forward as the tale of Port Linden and the downed bridge quickly became the story of modern America.
Issue #3 is practically teleportation, and the story is in a unique place for this massive step up and all that corresponding drama.
In a lot of ways, this issue felt like the penultimate chapter, even though we’re just now at the midpoint. Everything felt like it was revealed enough, or being positioned for some sense of true conclusion, and I found the experience both thrilling and a touch disarming.
Perhaps the biggest moment is with Becca, the teenage babysitter of the Calhoun family. While she’s mostly stood on the periphery (at least in my own reading), this issue sees her uncover a conspiracy that may rework our very understanding of the entire Calhoun-Valade blood feud that’s dominated the town. (And how that impacts the case around the downed bridge.)
I’m glad to have been quite wrong about Becca — I dismissed her as somewhat of a peripheral character, and she (like Deputy Lorraine) is someone who is making so much happen for the book and even regarding the arc of other characters. Her amateur sleuthing even brings into question some of Sheriff David Calhoun’s motivations and goals, and it’s interesting that his best character growth in this story is via the lens of another.
That’s mostly because David spends the issue coughing and running around, and there’s a real sense that for all the things coalescing elsewhere, this lawman feels a tad stuck. (Which is rather odd considering he’s got a very short amount of time left after his poisoning in issue #1.) It does rob him of some agency, and even a confrontation with the Valade clan near the issue’s end (where the art feels sharp and sizzles with life, in a way that heightens the narrative’s kinetic heft as to multiple our shared nervousness and excitement) only helps oh-so slightly.
Having your lead feel buried in the story certainly is an interesting editorial choice, and it just feels like the more this book takes off, the more its many layers and players seem to hinder parts of its “growth” elsewhere. It’s a fear I had early on in issue #1: From page one, there was already so much happening in this big book, and everything exploding forward like this proves quite thrilling even as you become aware of what’s missing in the accelerated journey.
Still, David somehow being less evolved so far isn’t as big an issue as I’d expected. Especially because we not only have characters like Becca moving plot and character development forward, but the issue also has other standout performances from Aly Calhoun (his wife) as well as Bobby Calhoun (the sheriff’s sister) paired up with Lorraine. I’d say perhaps our good sheriff isn’t the star, but there’s still that sense of his overt significance, and that will always impact the scope of this story.
Courtesy of Skybound/Image Comics.
Still, much like Becca, Aly was a character I had all but dismissed as being less significant. But when she and her son (Sam) are attacked by the Valade family, she helps usher in another layer to the case, hinting at some old cave and Viking artifacts that may cut to the core of this beef. I won’t go beyond that lil’ tidbit, but it feels like we’ve actually realized the “supernatural” aspects promised since issue #1. (Or, if not supernatural, something gimmicky and spooky that you don’t often see from the Laphams. Except maybe the awesome, under-heralded Underheist.) Be it the visual introduction of more horror-adjacent settings/vibes, or just added textures in a story mostly about people engaging angrily with people, this “cave stuff” is deeply interesting.
It shows that just a little uptick in pacing, the right setting, and some strategic character work can do a lot to make Good As Dead move at 125 mph, and to grab us as it runs screaming toward a storyline with layers and sparkle galore. Plus, it’s not too out-of-this world, and that just grounded enough feeling works for this story’s socio-political themes.
Still, a lot of those moments don’t shine nearly as much as a confrontation between Bobby and Lorraine. Visually, it involves an especially awesome sight gag that’s both funny and deeply revealing of how Bobby operates; it’s one of the “slower” moments of a story that feels like it’s embarked on the 100 meter dash, and that’s why it just feels so massively entertaining. Beyond that, the pair just have great chemistry together, and as they break through layers of distrust and disconnect, we see that they’re not only furthering the story, they’re humanizing it in a hugely meaningful way.
We see fairly quickly that this conversation about David, this town, and where they really stand (and their allegiances) is really about Good As Dead’s interest in ideas of the evolving family dynamic, the possibilities of small-town life in 2025, and what we’re really seeking in those specific places. It’s a moment as tense as it is funny, revealing as much as it slyly asks us even bigger questions. It moves fast but not too fast, and we can enjoy the excitement as much as we savor a proper chunk of the story falling into line.
It occurred to me in writing this review that as much as I’m talking about the speed of Good As Dead, maybe I’m really talking about something else: The siphoning of dead weight. That, once again, David ain’t the biggest attraction, and if he’s as bad off as we’re meant to believe, maybe there will be heaps more story to tell after he’s gone. And this issue all but proves that — there’s many more compelling plot lines and character arcs beyond him, and while David is a great source of emotionality and visual forces, Good As Dead works better and better as we run toward his impending demise.
Part of me is sad because of that; his more central standing in the story make its feel like a crime story we all know and love. What he’ll leave, though, is just all the more rich and interesting, and the women of the city have more energy, drive, and nuance to make Good As Dead something massively compelling.
If this book truly is a tale of momentum, then we’re reaching terminal velocity. And I for one couldn’t be more engaged, excited, and hungry for this mega-mystery to explode forward in new and poignant directions.
You must be logged in to post a comment.