Fell #7

Fell #7
Finally! Issue #7 comes out! Yay! Fell!
You know, as this book really only comes out every so never, they don't even bother putting the date on the cover. But hey, it's still worth it. 16 pages of EXCELLENT done in one story every so often, and I'm clamoring for more.
Boy, this issue is a downer. Fell gets a perp in, with a slam dunk murder conviction - or so he thinks. His genuine disgust for the perp and his rage at the injustice committed here lead him to totally blow the case. He opens up his big mouth and never shuts up. And he gives the case away. He gives the defense attorney enough ammunition to bargain the case down from lethal injection to a goddamn two years! Fell is upset. And he rages. The end.
I'm sure that every good cop has had a case like this. One where the evidence is just so damning, that they get cocky and totally blow it. And this issue really lets you feel the soul-suckingly awful feeling that has to accompany such an event. God, do you feel it. We all know what a great detective Richard Fell is. And for him to be so completely undone by his own hubris really jars.
Some reviewers have been knocking this issue. I completely understand. It just feels so awful at its conclusion. Pair that with the knowledge that another issue may not be headed our way for another six or so months, and one can easily understand why this issue has drawn such negative reviews. But in fairness, Warren Ellis warned us a long time ago that we would receive these issues only as he found time to publish them. They are a labor of love, but he pays for them himself, and can only work on them in his spare time, which one can only imagine must be very infrequent for such a prolific writer. So I'll take what I can get.
EXCELLENT.

[This post has been reprinted over at Sequart.]