Elk's Run #2

Elk's Run #2
Released by: Oni Press
Released on: September 2nd, 2015.
Written by: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Illustrated by: Noel Tuazon with Scott Keating
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We pick up where the first issue left off - Mike's dead, run over Arnold Huld - and it's time for his funeral. His dad can't keep it together. We flashback to the Vietnam war, some of the experiences that the town's founders had, experiences that shaped them and that inspired them to try to make a better place for their families. Huld was broken, he was trying to escape, and that was against the rules. When asked what he wants to do, Joe (that'd be Mike's dad), says he wants justice.

Huld is held accountable, an eye for an eye, just like the Vietcong were held accountable years back. Small town justice can be an ugly thing, as ugly as war. But Huld broke the rules. He was their friend, their neighbor, but he got drunk, tried to escape and he killed a kid. We learn how it all started when he couldn't keep a handle on his wife, how in allowing that to happen he shirked his responsibilities as a man. Arnold 'fucked it all up' - he wrecked Utopia and he pays for it.

As this second issue plays out, Fialkov's storytelling becomes more layered. The first issue was tragic enough, in that it dealt with Mike's death, but it wasn't necessarily horrific. Here… things get horrific. Not only are the flashbacks to the war sufficiently grisly but the execution of Huld is just flat out brutal. At the same time, this doesn't seem gratuitous because Fialkov weaves a story throughout the various acts of violence that occur here. The flashbacks build character and allow us to experience some of what these men experienced and in turn, we see why and how they've been shaped the way they have. This also allows us to understand the appeal of the closed society that they've built. But as we all know, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Noel Tuazon and Scott Keating keep the pace. The art here expands on the style they established in the first issue. It's heavy in its line work, splashy at times and not hyper detailed, but it doesn't need to be. It's very atmospheric and it makes use of a lot of earth tones with its color scheme. This gives things a gritty sort of look, and it works. Like a lot of people, I missed out on this series when it was first published through Speakeasy years back and again when it was collected as a trade. Oni deserves a high five for getting this out there again and hopefully winning this (so far) twisted, but compelling story some new readers.