Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the complementary comic book blog to the ODPH podcast. On this edition, we’re checking out the conclusion of another Comixology Original title. I can’t stress enough: if you haven’t checked out the Originals run going on, you need to fix that ASAP! We Only Kill Each Other by Stephanie Phillips, Peter Krause, Ellie Wright & Troy Peteri is prime example of why. Issue #5, The final issue, has just been released. Let’s take a deep dive into the finale, shall we?
We Only Kill Each other #5 - On Sale March 15th
Creative team: Stephanie Phillips, Peter Krause, Ellie Wright & Troy Peteri
Credit: Comixology Originals
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Set in New York City 1938, the story centers around two gangsters: Jonas Kaminsky & Levi Solomon. These two are not friends by any means. However, there is one common enemy they can agree on fighting. With World War 2 on the horizon, there is a growing number of Nazi supporters setting up territory around them. After being arrested for an issue between them, Kaminsky & Solomon is presented an offer they literally can’t say no to by the District Attorney: beat the shit out of Nazis & their criminal records are wiped clean. After some reluctance to work together, they finally agree (albeit with a BIG shove from the D.A.), this odd couple is caught up in the social climate & trying to stop an unforeseen action take place that will have dramatic consequences on the world in general….
What is that you ask…..
How bout saving President Roosevelt from being assassinated? Which is where we start issue #5.
The president is riding on a train. Little does he know, there are forces against him hiding in secret. Meanwhile our pair of unlikely “heroes” makes plans to stop this by jumping on a moving train (?!) and doing whatever they can to stop the assassination from happening. From there, the tension is built and readers are taken on a dramatic ride to see if the pair can save the day or like most of their previous moves, stumble to survive. This might be vague but you definitely need to read the conclusion for yourself.
Phillips pens an fantastic story with this series. The character of Jonas Kaminsky isn’t so much a “good guy” or “Bad Guy.” He is a very morally flawed character. Even to his anger towards Soloman exemplifies that. Jonas plays his part of a younger version of Soloman perfectly. As for Soloman, he was everything you expected: the seasoned veteran to the criminal life. Cool and calm under the constant pressure, Soloman was a great foil to Jonas. Seeing how they started to where they finished was a great read. Phillips really captured the feel of that time in history very well.
Speaking of the feel of that timeline, Krause’s art was perfect for the story. His depiction of NYC circa 1938 was great. The panel set-ups throughout this entire series were well done, esp the “point-counter point” between the DA & Kuhn’s group earlier in the series. For this issue, the train mission was done to perfection. It balanced the tension of the situation to the overall tone of the story. Great last page to close this series out on. Amazing job from issue #1 to close.
Overall, “We Only Kill Each Other” is a fantastic read. The creative team take you back in time for a compelling story that doesn’t let you go until the very end. Make sure to stop by Comixology and check this series out. You won’t be disappointed!
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As always, thanks for reading!