Rebirth of the Gangster #3 is the story of police officer Lorena Sanchez. Like our other protagonists, Marcus and Hunter, Lorena’s father is a criminal whose actions led Lorena down another path; in her case working to put other criminals behind bars. And she’s good at it, too. Real good. Lorena is an interesting character. She seems by the book on the surface, but the issue reveals a troubled past and a complicated present that’s not as straightforward as one would think.
The third helping of Rebirth of the Gangster is a tight issue, weaving together plot and characterization from the first two to push the story forward; however, it raised more questions than answers, largely revolving around Hunter’s scheme as he comfortably steps into the role of the series’ villain and around the connections in Lorena’s life. This is one of those series that really benefits from a reread of what came before and will make for a great trade paperback when the time comes. Sometimes, a connection is as simple as a visual reminder, and readers have to be on their game to catch everything and piece the story behind the story together.
Speaking of subtle visual cues, it took me three issues but I finally picked up on what differentiates flashbacks from the present day in this series. Black borders represent the present and white borders represent the past. This helped immensely with keeping up with the story’s frequent shifts in time and setting. The characters’ past is as important as the present, as all three protagonists – Lorena, Marcus, and Hunter – are connected, even if they don’t always remember it and have changed considerably since their youth.
I have to say it at least one more time: Juan Romera’s art on this book is a perfect fit. The series is black and white, very fitting for the noir theme running throughout, and gives off a definite Walking Dead vibe. Combined with writer C.J. Standal’s penchant for concise storytelling and poetry, it leads to a fantastic read.
Rebirth of the Gangster #3 is available on Kindle. Read my reviews to learn more about issue #1 and issue #2.
4 Perps Caught Red-Handed out of 5
