United States of Murder Inc. #1 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Michael Avon Oeming (Artist), Taki Soma (colorist)

The Story: What if the mobs never waned in influence? What if they just got bigger?

The Review: This is a fascinating high concept for a crime comic. As much as I have always adored Brubaker and Phillips’ Criminal book, there is something inherently awesome in seeing an alternate world in which the mobs never lost their footing in America. This issue succeeds in building up this world in a very organic manner that never steps on the toes of the story that it is trying to tell as we follow Valentine Gallo through his initiation into the ‘family’.

Bendis introduces a lot of characters here who feel new and fresh and yet instantly familiar; the mysterious female accomplice, the joker of a cousin, and the slightly haunted mother. All of these characters felt incredibly real upon reading and helped to sell the believability of this world. The dynamic between Valentine and Jagger Rose is interesting in and of itself as the latter attempts to diffuse any sexual tension from their partnership early on in a hilarious scene. It seems clear that despite being a made man that Valentine is somewhat emotionally and sexually stunted, an early scene shows him in bed with two women looking terribly confused and the relationship established with Jagger shows us that Valentine is not quite the man he tries to carry himself as.

Further muddying Valentine’s self-image is the killer reveal at the end of this issue when our protagonist discovers that his entire existence has been something of a lie, this was a very unexpected twist and puts the character between a rock and a hard place, throwing up questions of identity and loyalty. Bendis and his artists have established a firm foundation for this series moving forward with a likeable, interesting cast and a fantastic, dramatic hook that will keep people coming back for subsequent issues.