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Published by: IDW Publishing
Released on: Mar. 5, 2014
Writer: Joe Halpin Sr.
Artist: Juanfrancisco Moyano
Cover: Juanfrancisco Moyano
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After being killed in an undercover drug buy, Jake Ryan woke up in Purgatory as a “Newbornâ€. His brief experience in Hopetown, a supposed safe haven for people who have crossed over, left him with a bad feeling, so he and his dog friend set off to see what else Purgatory had to offer. But he needs to be careful of those who crossed over and became evil, murderous beasts. They are everywhere and they seem to have no agenda other than to kill everything.
He's making his way to another area called Freedom Town, named so due to the fact that they are under no one's control, i.e. the control by those who run Hopetown. As he leaves the border of town, he bumps into his dead friend Tom again, before continuing on alone but not unwatched. Enter into the story Jericho, the apparent boss of Freedom Town. His curiosity is piqued when his cronies report Jake's leaving Hopetown seemingly on his own accord, and wants to be sure he isn't a spy for what are apparently his enemies: the leaders of the cult-like Hopetown.
Once Jake reaches the new settlement, Jericho reaches out to him and tells him where the bear shits in the buckwheat there in Freedom Town. With some advice from the town father, Jake makes for a jiggle joint/brothel and meets the locals. His quest for the boy in a photo he carries turns out to result in squat, so he goes for a rest. Of course Jake never gets a break, his luck seems shitty, and instead of some shuteye he instead finds a new playmate in the form of a knife-wielding albino.
There's some more back story on Jake in the form of flashbacks, but still not a lot of info to be had. New characters being introduced ads more dimension to the story, but all in all this was the least satisfying issue of the three so far. Not much interesting happens, other than some activity with an albino and a heinous act he committed. That doesn't happen until the end but thankfully this book reads really quickly so it certainly isn't a drag to read. The creative team still retains their quality, it's just less energetic is all; a lull in the story.
If this is getting the reader past the 3/5 portion of the story, the downhill run will hopefully be a lot more exciting than it has been so far. Issue #1 laid the groundwork for an engaging story, but at this point it hasn't reached its momentum. At least not the momentum one might expect out of a 5-issue mini-series at the half way point.
