Severed #3 – Review

By: Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft (writers), Attila Futaki (artist)

The Story: Jack and his cross-dressing friend start making their way to Louisiana by busking, using Jack’s violin playing. Then they run into Victor the Travelling Phonograph Salesman, version 2.0. He invites them to his apartment and starts feeding them liquor and playing bear trap games.

Review: It’s probably best to review this book in the context of the two that have come before and the four that will come after. We began with a framing narrative of an old man with one arm missing, and old man who was hiding the truth about how he’d lost his arm. Go back in time and we follow Jack and, in parallel, an orphan boy. Jack is exposed to the creepy, disturbed dangers of travelling unprotected. The orphan boy is partially eaten. Will the cannibal eat Jack’s arm? The story looked simpler in issue #2. Then, in this issue, they meet Victor, and Snyder and Scott really show that they know how to create suspense and sustain it. Throughout the meal, I kept waiting for the shoe to drop. And the waiting turned into a cringe when the bear trap came out. I mean, WTF? I’ve maybe become desensitized to psychotics while reading Gotham books for the last two years, but Victor 2.0 brought in a whole new creepy, one that is as powerful in its way as the best of Grant Morrison’s early issues of Batman and Robin. Yet the tension in Severed is much more taut. There’s just not enough to be said about the writing of Severed as a perfectly paced, perfectly controlled story.

WCBR’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Captain America & Bucky #622 – This was a really hard choice because the runners-up were equally high quality, but Cap & Bucky edges them out because it managed to do this in a self-contained issue.  It isn’t the beginning of something exciting (like American Vampire #19) or the middle story of a fun arc (like Amazing Spider-Man #670)…..the whole thing is here: set-up, conflict and resolution.  If you had moved away from Cap & Bucky when the present day adventures of Steve Rogers moved over to Captain America, you’re really missing out because Cap & Bucky is wonderful as it tells stories from WWII.  This particular story highlights Bucky feeling a little left out and intimidated by the other Invaders (especially a really dickish Namor), but he manages to redeem himself, save the day and earn the respect of everyone.  This issue also shows the power of art in comics.  You could have a lot of other competent comic artists draw this series and no one would care about the series.  When you put Chris Samnee and Bettie Breitweiser on the art duties, you suddenly have something very special that can win “issue of the week”.  The combo of Samnee’s intelligent use of negative space and Breitweiser’s lovely and tasteful colors is really something.

Most Anticipated This Week: The Walking Dead #89 – TWD has really spoiled us by coming out like clock-work for a LONG time, so it kinds smarts that we haven’t had an issue since mid-August.  I guess Robert Kirkman is kinda busy???  I had to reskim my review of TWD #88 to remind myself of what’s going on.  Kirkman did a very uncharacteristic job of leaving some of messy storylines hanging in the air last time, so I really want to see how he clears them up.  There’s some romance stuff going on, a plot against Rick, Carl’s recovery……and you just know it mostly won’t end well.  Bring it!

Other picks: Animal Man #2, Swamp Thing #2, Sweet Tooth #26, Severed #3, Hulk #42, Thunderbolts #164, X-Men Schism #5