Follow Me Down, a new Reckless book from Image continues the rough and rugged tale of Ethan Reckless. He’s kind of a private eye, but not.
This volume takes place after a 1989 earthquake in San Francisco US. Reckless is encouraged to look for a missing woman. And of course, trouble is never far away, and as readers, we follow Ethan down the trail of bad luck, regret, and ‘recklessness’. The bricks may be yellow, but ‘you’re in’ for a surprise if you think it’s gold.
Written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Sean Phillips (colour by Jacob Phillips), this fifth volume in the Reckless series is a solid read. It covers the same tarnished territory as previous volumes, of course, and that’s what’s so good about it: we know what’s likely to happen, and we hope it does!
Yes, California, by the sea. The fights, the seamy motel rooms, the beat-up old cars, and old cons. The dusty, gritty underbelly of 20th century America, just a hope and a dream away from ‘the good life’.
In Follow Me Down, we get to know Ethan better. What makes him fret, what makes him sweat? His weaknesses, his brittle maintenance or meager semblance of self-discipline. Sean Phillips’ drawings are direct, atmospheric, and descriptive. There is no gloss, no extra lines, no filigree. We can all agree that this ‘procedural’ drawing style breaks all the glam art rules, keeps us on our toes, takes us into dark places of the soul.
Colouring by Jacob Phillips is a mix of environmental, impressionist, and imaginative. It sells the steak, it sells the sizzle.
Great reading and you should check it out.
Image, Follow Me Down, $24.99 for 152 pages of Mature content
Anthony Andujar Jr. 
Newsdesk