SINK #5 of 5 (Comix Tribe, March 28, 2018 release date) “White Dog”. Story by John Lees. Art by Alex Cormack. Colours by Alex Cormack & Lisa Moore. Letters by Shawn Lee. Logo by Tim Daniel.
“But that’s Sinkhill. We’re all broken toys here.”
Welcome back for a final look at the fictional Scottish borough of Sinkhill, a strange, savage and rough place to live. You can move away if you’re lucky enough. But if you grew up here, Sinkhill goes with you. It’s always there.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t any good people living in Sinkhill. You may not recognize them because they’re just a little harder, a little tougher than more civilized folk. It’s a survival skill.
Mature teenager or collegiate-aged (I’m guessing) Emma Callaghan is one such resident. She’s learned to cope and adapt, growing up without a father in a walk-up apartment. Dealing with a disabled mother who’s near the point of giving up and quitting. Emma has to coax her out of the wheelchair, and she does. She finds solace in her little white terrier, Snowy.
When Snowy goes missing, Emma is right to worry that he might have been snatched for bait purposes in a dog-fighting ring. She seeks help from a gang member (Jordan of the Dickheads) and is directed towards the Black Hole club, owned by Si McKirdie (a familiar crime boss from SINK Issue #2). Fearless Emma works her way into the club, and meets transgender brawler Florence Kilcomb (a prominent character from SINK #2), who advises her to take her search to the head honcho’s residence.
McKirdie’s place is like a high-end Gothic castle, decorated with skulls and the finest in kitchen accoutrements. McKirdie is a tad eccentric, but bold Emma confronts him with his responsibility for the consequences of what his employees do. McKirdie feels compelled to help, and they depart for an isolated garage where one of his captains is operating a dog-fighting arena.
It’s a bloodbath. McKirdie changes policy, which means someone has to pay. From this point, it gets even uglier than a dog-fight. Just as vicious dogs can be converted to loyal pets by “someone tough as nails to keep him right”, a measure of kindness emerges from McKirdie.
The final pages acknowledge the previous four issues with one-panel flashbacks as the captions detail a last message.
“Everyone else thinks we’re trash, and it’s so easy to think of ourselves the same way. . . .
“There ’s something called the Glasgow effect . . . like, just by being here makes you more likely to die sooner . . .
“You get all kinds in Sinkhill - - good and bad . . . just like anywhere else.”
STORY: For as brutal as this end cap story is, it’s also quite touching. There’s a lesson and moral at the end. It’s heartwarming and not preachy. Nice way to go out with a feel-good message. Takes the edge off of what readers have just witnessed. End on a high point. 3 POINTS.
ART: Telling facial gestures and body language. The text-free panels are so expressive. Always appropriate choice of colors that burst like broken blood vessels. Graphic violence, as brutal as the nature of the story. If you are disturbed by pet abuse, take a tranquilizer before reading. 3 POINTS.
COVER: Simple and attention getting. 2 POINTS.
READ AGAIN? I want to. You will too. 1 POINT.
RECOMMEND? Yes. The whole series deserves more attention. And, I believe there are more SINK stories in the future. It’s a big town, and there’s more to share. 1 POINT.
TOTAL RATING: 10 POINTS. I’ve said this about SINK before: this series has been a very pleasant surprise. Great concept. Memorable stories. My favorite mini-series of 2017-2018.
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