I won't be hurt if you skip this one.
Page 1
I like to do shorts in between major arcs. This is one. It is also, in my opinion, the worst Reckless Life story for a number of reasons. If you subjected yourself to all eight pages of this self-indulgent whine-fest acting as a Dinner and a Robbery epilogue then prepare for the reward that is me eviscerating my own choices.
In a story rife with bad choices on my part Locke goes ahead and makes a bad choice of his own and lights a cigarette to start things up. I wish that was a self-reflexive choice/commentary but it's not and just something I want to try and connect in re-reading this sorry excuse for a story.
Oh, and we have an in-story explanation of Locke's new jacket which no one needs. Just like we don't need that extra piping on Locke's design. I guess I was ahead of the New 52 on that one.
Page 2
Jack Daniels? You just cashed in a bag of diamonds and you get Jack Daniels, Locke? It's almost like your creator had never had any good whiskey himself or that he just wanted to steal the label off google image search and apply it in Photoshop.
Paulie, don't ask him what's wrong. Don't do it! DON'T DO... too late.
I do like how I'm once again not wasting panels drawing talking heads and getting the most out of each drawing with some creative word balloon placement . I don't hate that.
Page 3
After Locke continuing to cover ground that we already have it's time to introduce one of Reckless Life's more (most?) problematic characters: Mayor McBling. That name is funny and I'll die on THAT hill but maybe not so much on 2003 Tim trying to do a Blacksploitation style character in said year of 2003. I mean I know I was into the original Issac Hayes Shaft around this time but come on man.
Page 4
Panel 1 is actually a half-decent drawing and pretty closely resembles Locke from the later RL stories. I also get a chuckle out of the ladies commenting on Locke's character design in-story. (Especially the sunglasses at night line. I do so love Blues Brothers.)
Page 5
I hope you enjoyed that bit of slightly misplaced levity because now it's time for what people really want from comics: nihilist rants!
This is VERY much2003 Tim talking here. Sweet angel thought he had it tough. I will toss 2003 Tim the smallest of bones here and say that I really love the Joe Kelly/Ed McGuiness run of Deadpool and this sort of “woe is me“ stuff was a part of that story and as an angsty sixteen-year-old kid I ate it up. This is me doing a half-assed imitation of those much better Deadpool stories.
Also: that red-haired bartender is looking more and more like my ex-wife as the series goes on and that's weirding me out because I hadn't even met her at this point and she looked nothing like that in 2003 to boot. EIREE.
Page 6
God bless your heart Paulie (and I guess 2003 Tim) for inserting a joke in panel 1 before Locke gets back at it.
Thank you SO MUCH, Locke, for saying the theme of the series out loud. That's definitely what good fiction does -- it beats you over the head with what it's trying to say instead of, you know, demonstrating it through story. Like the whining wasn't bad enough!
Page 7
I'd like to believe Pualie's accusation here is 2003 Tim having an OUNCE of self-awareness but I kinda doubt it. He's probably just repeating what his friends have told him.
Wait - someone's entering the bar -- could this be the cameo that saves the story?!
Page 8
Nope! It's me! Again! (Though apparently, I'd shaved my head since last time. Maybe that's why I thought I could get away with this.)
I hope this is 2003 Tim trying to tell Locke to buck up but I feel like he might just be doing more whining and trying to steal the pity spotlight. Boo-hoo.
If this weren't all enough apparently 2003 Tim forgot to save the high res version of this page (or subconsciously chose to) so I had to res it up and that's why it looks like shit! "It Could Always Be Worse?"
Not this time, guys.
"STORY" OVER. Thank God.
NEXT WEEK: (And now for something completely different) Locke and the Las Vegas Ninjas!