Unknown Soldier #23 – Review

by Joshua Dysart (writer), Alberto Ponticelli (art), Oscar Celestini (colors), and Clem Robins (letters)

The Story: Moses/Subject Nine meets up with Jack and they plan their next move at a CIA base camp.

What’s Good: This month sees Jack at his most lovable.  It’s hard not to like the guy when he’s playing basketball with kids (and losing).  We also get to see more of his chemistry with Moses, which has always been great.  More than ever, there’s a barely concealed kind of affection and/or pity that Jack shows for his partner in crime.  Never before has the name “Kemo Sabe” felt so heavy.  It becomes a link for Jack to the Moses of old, an expression of tenderness, nostalgia, and regret.

Jack’s narration is similarly effective on an emotional level and, if this truly is the last we see of the character, a wonderful send-off.  The narration sees Jack go against his nature, and his confusion over this.  It takes an entire issue for Jack to figure out what’s wrong with him: he’s become a good Samaritan.  It’s a really great evolution of the character and carries just a touch of redemption and a fleck of gold in the character’s heart.  Seeing the character say farewell only made me all the sadder over Unknown Soldier’s fast approaching final issue.

Moses and Sera’s reunion is almost equally effective.  Dysart makes it painfully clear just how far apart these two characters have grown over the course of the series, while also suggesting that there’s no happy ending possible for this relationship.  It’s a tragic sequence that Dysart plays well; it’s as unfulfilling for the reader as it is for the characters, which I think is the point.  Ponticelli also does a great job illustrating the crucial facial expressions and emotions.