In 2011, comic fans were introduced to Loose Ends, a Southern crime story told in four parts. However, only the first three issues were published, and the final chapter has been hanging in limbo ever since. Now, Loose Ends returns with a new home at Image Comics, and the creators promise to give the story its long awaited finale.
Sonny Gibson is a military vet living in his home state of North Carolina. He’s fallen on hard times, and gets roped into running drugs by an old Army friend. But before embarking on the trip to Florida, Sonny stops off at an old watering hole to make some amends. Things go south quick, and Sonny finds himself on the run with a waitress named Cheri.
This may sound like a familiar story, and it is. But it’s a familiar story with a strong twist from the creative team that makes it feel funky fresh.
Jason Latour writes an intelligent script. A lot happens in this first issue of Loose Ends, and some important details are revealed in cutaways and flashbacks. Latour doesn’t hold the readers’ hands through these moments, and he doesn’t use clunky expository dialogue. He simply tells his story and trusts that the reader will follow along. This trust is what sets Latour’s work above the rest.
However, as gripping as the script is, the art is the what makes Loose Ends #1 worth your $3.99. Chris Brunner’s pencils are raw and gritty like a crime comic should look, and Rico Renzi’s colors crank things up a notch. Renzi adds a vibrancy to the scene. Certain scenes, like Sonny’s drunken stupor, become all the more intoxicating. It’s a style that can only be described as “funky,” and it’s what keeps Loose Ends from being just another crime story.
Loose Ends #1 – The Bottom Line
Loose Ends is back and better than ever. Be sure to pick up issue one when it rereleases on January 25, even if you already gave it a shot the first time around. You’ll get the finale that you’ve been waiting six years for, along with a new format, new covers, and a few other updates. “But don’t worry,” said Latour in a recent Image+ interview, “Han still shoots first.”
