Xing And Freeman Are Laid Bare In Days Of Hate #11
by Josh Davison
[*Major Spoilers Ahead!]
Xing is in jail. Her pipe bomb went off in Agent Freeman’s house, killing his wife and child. Xing was immediately pinned with the act, but it also resulted in a media circus about Agent Freeman’s affair and the fact that he has a disabled child he kept out of the spotlight for a long time. Meanwhile, Amanda is devastated over seeing Xing in jail, and she’s ready to do something about it.
Days of Hate #11 is the penultimate issue of the Ales Kot and Danijel Zezelj series, and much of it consists of Freeman and Xing simply talking in her cell. Freeman is, of course, beyond furious with the what Xing has done, but he isn’t angry for the reasons one would assume.
A lot is revealed about both characters in this exchange, and much of the opacity of the series is cleared up. A lot which was previously only hinted at, implied, or alluded to is simply said and made plain.
Frankly, it’s cathartic for that reason alone. Days of Hate is a series that is challenging and even at times frustrating because of its reluctance to make things clear about its characters, but Xing and Freeman are laid out on the table, bare and naked, for the reader to see here.
The dialogue is fantastic too. Days of Hate is, above all else, a polemic, and the ideas and concepts that have permeated the previous ten issues are also directly tackled.
There is one moment of questionable lettering at the peak of the drama. Xing has a long screed about Freeman and the state of America to state, and her dialogue bubble barely fits in the panel with the words crammed and choking each other. That happens only once, but it is distracting.
Danijel Zezelj’s artwork is profound this time around. The last quarter-or-so of the comic is just Amanda reflecting on her time with Xing, and it is a deeply emotional and beautiful sequence of panels showing the two women’s romance. This is in addition to the usually impressionist work that already could stun the reader with ease. Jordie Bellaire’s color work compliments it perfectly with similarly impressionistic color blending.
Days of Hate #11 is among the best issues of the maxiseries. Characters are laid bare, blood has been spilled, and what will happen next is anyone’s guess. This one easily gets a recommendation. Give it a read.
Days of Hate #11 comes to us from writer Ales Kot, artist and cover artist Danijel Zezelj, color artist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Aditya Bidikar.
