Kyle Starks and Steve Pugh have established a core truth throughout End of Life: Nobody likes Eddie Stallion. The members of his former cabal of assassins, the Menagerie, leaped at the chance to kill him. Other mercenaries flat-out say they hated him. Even his own father, George, kicked him out of the house when he was young and has attempted to shoot him on multiple occasions. But what made George the way he is, and how did that shape Eddie in turn? End of Life #4 finally opens a window into George’s path, while also further increasing the pressure on Eddie.
Both moments involve Menagerie agents: the tracker Drahthaar comes to George’s house looking for Eddie, while Eddie has to deal with another killer, Kodiak, who arrives at the gas station, where he’s unexpectedly befriended by the owner, Leona, and her son, Trent. Given the choice to head for the hills or save Leona and Trent, Eddie opts for the former while George decides to show Drahthaar that age hasn’t dulled his more lethal instincts.
In crafting such a pair of parallel stories, Starks highlights just how similar Eddie and George are. Both clearly have a deep self-loathing due to their work as killers, but while Eddie pushes it down with hedonism and being an outright jackass to everyone he encounters, George has made peace with the fact that he’s about to die. In fact, he even welcomes it, giving Drahthaar the chance to try and kill him. In fact, I’d argue George’s half of End of Life #4 is more compelling as it not only reveals the origins of the Menagerie but how far he’ll go for someone he loves – and despite their prickly relationship, he does still love Eddie.
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While Eddie eventually does take out Kodiak, it feels less like a triumphant showdown and more like a foregone conclusion. To the creative team’s credit, they do deliver a darkly hilarious showdown: Pugh depicts Kodiak as a massive man in a bear’s head, and also showcases the dangers of trying to burn someone alive in a gas station, as they can just stand out of range of the fumes and flick a lit cigarette in your direction. I also give him props for depicting the largest, bushiest beard that ever bearded when it comes to Drahtaar.
Pugh’s best work comes in a flashback depicting George’s past life, which features some pretty brutal violence and a sepia-toned look courtesy of Chris O’Halloran. Again, part of me wishes this were the full issue. It’s so well crafted, both in its visuals and story, and it offers new insight into the lead characters’ state of mind. Here’s hoping Starks and Pugh can keep up that momentum, especially with the surprise cliffhanger.
End of Life #4 dives deep into the past, and in the process uncovers the hidden depths of Eddie Stallion and his father. This book proves it can still make you laugh out loud one moment and sit in stunned silence the next, a rare gift in the world of comics.
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