Vertigo’s Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain mystery has been a moody and effective slice of noir storytelling since the first issue, but we don’t know that much about our titular private eye. The snippets we have gotten throughout key us into the fact that he was in the war, became a police officer, had some kind of falling out with the force, and now acts as his own private investigator. While the central dual mysteries surrounding the Brutal Dark and the disappearance of Karl Meyer have been enough to keep the book going for the first two issues, the third issue of Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips’ mystery shines some more light on Cain’s mysterious past.
Following his disastrous infiltration of the perceived Brutal Dark headquarters, Ezra Cain awakens in a darkened room surrounded by mysterious strongmen. Across from him sits Hans Huber, the owner of the building who assures Cain that he is “just trying to help those less fortunate” after the war. As Cain gains his bearings and starts asking questions, Huber summons for Karl Meyer, who’s alive and (mostly) well, and assures Cain that he’s “happy to work” and to let his wife know that he’s fine. Cain is let out of the building and wanders back to his friend Mack, who’s waiting for him at the local bar they used to haunt. It’s there that Cain’s past comes rushing back to haunt him, as his former flame Sandy Williams and his old boss Police Commissioner Dicky Winston cross paths with him. As expected, things get heated, but Sandy may have some connections to the Brutal Dark thanks to her work as a reporter. Can Ezra truly trust her though?
As I mentioned earlier, The Peril of The Brutal Dark hasn’t really devoted a lot of time to Ezra’s background in the past two issues. However, Chris Condon’s script for issue three does a great job of doling out the necessary context for these various members of Ezra’s past through implied dialogue between Ezra and his conversation partners, as well as some funny asides from other patrons in the bar. While it does at times feel a little too convenient for all of these people to arrive at the same time that Ezra is there, it makes for a fun ramping up of tension as the scene shifts from a flirtatious romantic comedy to potential punch out once Winston shows up.
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There isn’t a lot of narrative momentum in this issue, but what we do gain is more insight into Ezra Cain as a person and his past. We also get some really stellar dialogue from Cain, especially in the opening of the issue. Even surrounded and nursing a bad hit to the head, he’s still doggedly pursuing the truth (and being pretty funny while doing so). Condon’s dialogue has been snappy and crisp throughout the series, playing up the noir stylings of the genre while also giving it a modern edge, which works really well at establishing Cain’s relationships and worldview without feeling like Condon has to sit us down a read all of this off like it’s a data page.
Adding to the mood of the issue is Jacob Phillips’ art, who, once again, excels at the seedier aspects of Brutal Dark‘s mysteries. This is an issue brimming with style, despite what the early pages of Cain locked in a dark room may suggest. Even though this is an issue that’s very light on action, Phillips finds plenty of opportunities to make the visuals really move and sell the tension in the story, especially between Cain and Winston. The tight panels on their faces crank up the drama so much that by the time there’s a break in the tension you feel the sense of relief and also dread for what’s next.
The first issue of Peril of the Brutal Dark had the exact right mix of plot beats and character work. While last issue was definitely a plot heavy issue, this one is picking up the slack for the character work, which may frustrate some readers who want to know about the Brutal Dark and what they have planned for the Anvil of Hephaestus. While I can certainly understand those frustrations, the work Condon and Phillips are doing in this series is so interesting and missing from modern comics that I’m fine just marinating in Ezra Cain’s world for a bit longer, though I will admit to wondering just how far we can push the control that the Brutal Dark has over people. That being said, while The Peril of The Brutal Dark #3 may not be a necessary plot piece for the mystery so far, it’s a very important piece of the character puzzle that makes up our lead.
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