This issue starts with a flashback to Destiny’s first kill, back when she was just a 10 year old girl. It’s a slightly uncomfortable scene to witness, especially since artist Afua Richardson draws little Destiny so…cute, but I guess that’s the point. A scene like this should make you uncomfortable. Hell, this whole series is uncomfortable (but in a good way). Writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman have, so far, managed to straddle a very fine line with this series. This isn’t a glorified gangsta shoot-em-up story, it’s a brutal, dramatic, tension-filled tale about race, poverty, class, and politics, where you’re not always sure exactly who you’re supposed to be rooting for. Destiny? She’s clearly the star of the book, but she’s also a violent murderer. The police? Well, they’re not exactly sympathetic either. So this is a book that definitely makes you think.

Picking up from the cliffhanger at the end of the previous issue, Destiny swiftly deals with a mini-rebellion in her ranks. After being thoroughly routed by her forces the police pull back and wait for the National Guard to mobilize. Destiny allows her people to relax in the meantime. Izzy, the news reporter, still stuck in the middle of the city, uses her wits to get herself a face-to-face meeting with Destiny, wanting the chance to interview her to get the whole story, while Detective Gray has also uncovered Destiny’s identity and has alerted the police chief. Meanwhile, back in the hood, some of Destiny’s men aren’t too happy about this little temporary truce with the police and get ready to start some shit…TO BE CONTINUED

Even with the lesser amount of action you can feel that stakes are rising in this issue. It’s still unclear whether Destiny’s plan has a chance of working in the long run. Has she really thought of everything, or is this ultimately a fool’s errand. I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out!

Chacebook rating: FIVE STARS

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