Publisher: Boom!
Writer: Matt Brady and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Dominike “Domo” Stanton
Colourist: Paul Little
Release date: 10 July 2015
Price: $3.99

The four-issue mini-series Palmiotti & Brady’s The Big Con Job is Ocean’s 11 meets Galaxy Quest meets Glengarry Glen Ross. Many depressing lives are on the line in Palmiotti & Brady’s The Big Con Job #4!

Crooked agent Tony King tricks the badly aging and impoverished stars of cult science fiction TV show Treck Wars to rob the San Diego Comic Con. It wasn’t a hard sell: the Treck Wars people are pathetic. One of them is homeless. A few eke out livings selling autographs but constantly have to listen to ungrateful and overly critical fans. “I’ve seen those diabetes commercials you’ve been doing,” says one admirer. Former sex kitten Blaze Storm appears desperate in her low-plunging blouse and fake boobs achieving that last-cougar-in-the-bar look.

The story has the humour one expects from Palmioitti (Harley Quinn). Many scenes are amusing such as when the crew tries to leave the convention center: “I like to swing free, pal. Sorry you had to see that,” says the man inside the Star-Warsy prop. And the techno-babble spews beautiful nonsense like, “the unprobability lever has detached.” The silliness does not stop there, a TV alien comes from a race having the unfortunate name of “Vulvarian”. Their saying, “From the depths of chaos comes opportunity,” may be more biologically literal than first thought.

Palmiotti’s and Brady’s narrative paces itself well, no page of exposition slows the story down. The crew’s South American adventure is fun. Deadpool artist Stanton delivers a manga-inspired feel. Stanton has no trouble telling a story, and Stanton’s faces are extremely expressive, even if some of the figure work seems loose.

Palmiotti & Brady’s The Big Con Job #4 last panel is a work of inspired love, a brilliant contrast to the issue’s ugly beginning. If you have not acquired the first three issues, do yourself a favour. Now!

Reviewer: Joe Lovece
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker