Review: The Backstory Of Mr Rimes Revealed In Death Or Glory #7 By Remender And Bengal

In Death or Glory #7 our hero Glory Owen is still trying to get over the boarder and into Mexico where a doctor won’t ask too many questions. But ahead of that she has a metaphorical minefield of troubles to get through first. And, even before we catch up with glory we get more of an insight into Mr Rime’s backstory with a quick flashback to his youth and an unloving father who would drag him into every dodgy deal and dangerous liaison he was involved with.  Call it his ‘secret origin’ but It explains a lot about the person he has come to be and his weapon of choice., even if it doesn’t explain his germaphobia. But, it’s that germaphobia that produces the biggest laugh from me, and just in the opening pages. The Howard Hughes of the criminal world, he ain’t, but he can certainly go toe-to-toe with the great recluse when it comes to hygiene. His sex life, however, is another matter entirely. As you’ll see fro yourself.

Meanwhile, Glory and her rag-tag group of friends attempt to get into Mexico by asking a priest for directions. As you do. Pointing them in the direction of a dive-bar isn’t necessarily the advice I would expect to get from any priest I know. Especially when this bar is harbouring an illegal gambling den too. But, hey, this is an America that’s off-good and on the down low. A world of shady deals and even shadier characters. And, boy, has writer Rick Remender packed this series full of them. Cartoon characters with a Manga bent, but set against a dry, dirty, dangerous desert landscape. Like the heroes of the classic western film of the past, the rough, tough landscape is reflected in the rough, tough but colourful cast. A cast that grows in numbers again in this twisted version of the classic Hero’s Journey.

All the while, Bengal continues to delight the eye with his kinetic artwork and highly expressive facial features that bring the appropriate emotions alive in a book that runs as much on character’s emotional response to the often appalling events occurring to them, as it does on gas.
A series that doesn’t seem to be running out of steam and continuing to ramp up the adrenaline and the action as Glory and company continue to hit the backroads of America hard, fast and furiously. 
It’s another enjoyable sojourn into the desert with Glory and her dying dad, along with the people she’s taken under her wing too. A hero in the making, and she doesn’t even realise it yet. 
Death Or Glory #7 is out now from Image Comics/Giant Generator