Review: United States vs. Murder, Inc. #4

Colors: Taki Soma

Letters: Carlos M. Mangual

Design: Curtis King Jr.

In an alternative history set in a world where the five families of Murder, Inc. never gave up power, this sexy crime thriller takes you somewhere you’ve never seen in comics. From writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming, the Eisner Award-winning creators of POWERS, comes another brand-new chapter of THE UNITED STATES VS. MURDER, INC.

History is always told from either the winner or the loser’s point of view.  Bendis does a great job of beginning the story with a front of the class school report where one of the students simply states after an audience question “She declared war on us!”

The scene quickly evolves to a meeting of all five families, and Don Bonavese asks for a vote from the other four families to proceed with an assassination attempt that he has already ordered for Jagger Rose and Valentine Gallo to commit.  With US Madame President Erica Sanchez already in Japan flexing her muscles over the latest attack on the Bonavese Family, both Rose and Gallo are perched atop a roof one mile and a half way with Rose welding a high power sniper rifle.

After dismissing her secret service detail save for one agent, Madame President orders Agent Gary to relieve her stress of the day.  However, during a moment of risque sex, Rose pulls the trigger despite Valentine’s plea to talk about the situation they are in.  As the agent discovers Madame President is not participating in his efforts, he emerges for air to only be shot in the head as well.   Agents storm the room, however, there is a sense of ambivalence about the entire situation from the remaining secret service agents.

Meanwhile, Rose and Gallo , escape into the streets of Japan, only to be discovered by drones and local police.  A chase ensues and subsequently Valentine tells Rose that he is “out of here”.  Rose is hit in some cross fire as Valentine retreats into a night club.  Valentine knows he has crossed over from trained agent to an official “made man” even though he didn’t pull the trigger.

And as the students finish the class presentation about Madame President, we find that Valentine is taking the fall as the man who tried to destroy America as “everybody knows his name now!”