Strangers in Paradise: Child of Rage

Synopsis: This reprints Strangers in Paradise #31-38, Vol. 3.

Veronica Pace murders the men who engineered the plane crash. She tells her operatives to kill everyone else that might know anything, and we find out that Francine and David are alone. We move to Francine and David, and we discover that David has inherited the entirety of Darcy’s estate—in short, he’s a billionaire, and that Francine and her mother are multi-millionaires as well. We then discover that Francine has become engaged to Brad. Francine runs to tell her mother, and sees her at the house with a blonde woman. Thinking that it’s Katchoo, she runs to greet her only to find out that it’s Casey. Casey enthusiastically greets Francine, then smothers David—who is still suffering from complications—with kisses. With her divorce from Freddy final, Casey is going after David in a big way. Later, Casey and Francine discuss Francine’s upcoming wedding, and Francine tells her that she really misses Katchoo. Back in New York, Veronica accuses Sharon of being one of Tambi’s agents and murders her.

David is leaving for New York to find Katchoo. Francine tells him that if he finds her to bring her home. We catch up with Katchoo in New York—she’s drinking again, and she gets a call from Tambi. Tambi tells her that the reporter who broke the story about Darcy and the Big Six has been murdered, and asks her about “Miracle”, his source. Katchoo denies knowing anything about the situation. Tambi hangs up, and finds out from Weinstein that it was Veronica who was responsible. Then Tambi watches him die. Brad calls his brother—who happens to be a rock star—and tells him about his engagement. Since his brother Griffin is in the middle of a nationwide simulcast concert, he goes back for an encore and dedicates the next song to his brother and his new bride Francine. Tambi meets up with Tuccani who shows her the body of Sharon. Tuccani wants things to move faster, but Tambi has other ideas. We find out that Katchoo’s been operating business under the alter ego of Mr. King, and we find out that Katchoo is a very canny negotiator—but she’s hitting the bottle very hard.

Tambi goes to pick up Katchoo and finds her passed out drunk in the bathtub. She beats Katchoo into consciousness, and tells her that she needs to straighten up. Katchoo tells her to kill her, but then Tambi threatens Francine. Francine and her mother visit the cemetery to discuss Francine’s funeral plot. While Francine is alone, she gets approached by a strange woman who tells her to go home. David is in New York, awaiting a meeting with Tambi. However, it’s Veronica who shows up. She accuses David of having incestuous relations with his sister, then tells him that it was Tambi who sabotaged the plane. Then she tells him that he needs her to take over the company, and then tells him that Katchoo is dead. She then tells one of her goons to kill him, but David protects himself and kills the goon first, at which point Veronica breaks out in excited laughter, as she thinks she has pulled out the personality of Yousaka, who was apparently a darker side of David. She leaves him there to deal with the enormity of his actions. Francine and her mother are looking through an old photo album, and Francine spots the woman she ran into at the cemetery. She asks her mother, and she tells Francine that it’s her long dead great-grandmother who committed suicide.

A man is looking for Francine, but stops at the wrong house first. When he gets to Francine’s house, he tells Francine that he’s been sent to fetch her, and Francine goes with him. Katchoo has sobered up and is getting ready for a business meeting. When she gets downstairs, she finds Tambi, who has Francine in the limo. Tambi gives them two minutes to talk. Afterwards, Tambi and Katchoo head into the bank to conduct the business dealings that will give them control of the company. They tell Tuccani that he’s done and that it’s time to retire, and seeing that he has nowhere to go, he concedes defeat. Afterwards, they head out to the limo, only to find the chauffeur dead and Francine gone.

David is informed by his captors that they have Francine and are using her as bait to lure Katchoo. After the goons leave, we find out that Katchoo has been in the room the whole time. She and Tambi rescue David, but while they are leaving they get ambushed by Bambi, Tambi’s twin sister. However, she’s not as good as Tambi, and Tambi manages to defeat her. We then discover that Katchoo and Tambi are sisters as well. Tambi finishes things off while Katchoo and David have a quick reunion in the alley. Veronica has Francine tied up in a remote cabin, but we see Tambi kill one of the posted guards.

In the cabin, Veronica rants and raves like a Republic Serial Villain, simultaneously while she slaps Francine around. Veronica then pulls out a knife and begins playing with it, while her associate Becky restores Francine to an upright position. As she begins to make motions towards Francine, there’s a knock on the door. David enters and tells Veronica that all of her people are dead and that she should give up. As Veronica becomes more desperate, she holds the knife at Francine’s throat. Suddenly Katchoo appears with her hair dyed black to look like Darcy. It’s enough of a distraction that Veronica takes the knife from Francine’s throat, then is quickly shot from outside. Francine and Katchoo release Francine, and we discover that Becky was one of Tambi’s agents. After a tearful goodbye, Katchoo, David and Francine leave while Tambi begins torturing Veronica to death.

Francine’s mother welcomes Francine, David and Katchoo home; however no one will tell her mother what’s happened. Brad enters the room, and Katchoo finally finds out that he’s engaged to Francine. The two of them do not hit it off, and Katchoo tells David to go outside and start the car. Katchoo finally breaks off the argument and leaves, but warns Brad to take good care of Francine. David and Katchoo check into a motel, but Katchoo won’t speak to him until she’s washed all of the makeup off and rinsed the coloring out of her hair. The two of them spend the night together. The next day, they go back to see Francine, and Francine tells Katchoo that she wants children and is running out of time.

Good Stuff: As always, the best moments are those between Francine and Katchoo. Their relationship dynamic is very interesting, and those moments are always compelling. I also have to admit that I really like the character of Casey, who brings much more to the table than she might seem to.

Not so Good Stuff: As usual, what drags this book down is everything that doesn’t have to deal with Francine and Katchoo’s relationship. The gangster stuff is pretty pedestrian, and it just seems out of place in this comic. Also, I have to register a general complaint about the reveal that everyone’s related. It just stretches the realm of credibility that Tambi and Katchoo are sisters, and that Brad is related to a major rock star, etc. Why can’t these just be normal people? Why can’t people just be who they are without all of the pseudo-incestuous relationships?

I give this book 6/10.