Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Writer(s): Christina Blanch, Chris Carr
Artist: Chee
Release Date: 12th November 2014

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How far would you go to provide for your family? What lines would you cross, would you be willing to go beyond your convictions? These seem to be just some of the themes which are explored in this series. They are themes I think that in this day and age are something a lot of families are faced with. Whether it’s from lack of adequate paying jobs, lack of job in general or just the growing pile of bills a lot of families struggle against, with some, in order to provide, crossing lines they never thought they would cross.

Christina Blanch and Chris Carr have created a story centered around one such family. Charlie Wormwood is a college professor who teaches prison inmates; he has a son who is incredibly ill and is in the hospital on a near permanent basis. The bills are piling up, Charlie’s insurance is being cancelled and the stress on his relationship with his wife is being strained to the point where you wonder when it will end. It’s an interesting tale as it could be the family of someone you know very easily. The stories Charlie is teaching in his classes are based around stories similar to his own, or of the inmates he’s teaching, which helps to tie the series together well. It’s a wonderful writing tool that gives that much more depth to the story if you are really paying attention.

Charlie is approached in the first issue by an inmate by the name of Barnum who mentioned that he can help Charlie, and that he knows way more than he should about pretty much everything that happens inside the prison. Barnum drops hints to Charlie off and on until finally Charlie agrees to meet with Barnum. Barnum plans to exploit Charlie’s photographic memory for his own personal gain by relaying messages to people outside through Charlie. This is where the question comes into play, how far would you go to provide for your family? Barnum claims he needs Charlie for the same reason Charlie needs him to provide also for his family on the outside. It appears Charlie may choose to help Barnum in order to provide for his family, but to what end, and what will it cost him and his family? Guess I will have to keep reading to find out, I’m okay with that.

The interior artwork by Chee for this series is done in all black and white. In all honesty I think it was a wise choice. The black and white choice leaves the story to tell itself, not distracting the reader with vibrant colors or too much going on. The details are there and done well, but the lack of color doesn’t at all take away, but in my opinion enhances the story as a whole.

Rating 4/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Shane Hoffman (aka “Hoff”)
You can also find Hoff on Twitter.

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