Tommy and Ringo meet the Waterman, who promises them that the entire ordeal is going to be very painful. He obviously LIKES to torture people. He plans to torture Ringo to death first, as an obligation to his boss, and Tommy later, as a private indulgence. After that, he cuts Tommy's nipple off. In the cell, Ringo starts telling Tommy his story. It looks like Ringo was born in China, in a nuclear testing site, used to be a soldier, and he got imprisoned for not shooting innocent people. The Waterman barges in, and brings them to the torture room, where they are linked, via camera to Waterman's boss, Harcourt. Ringo confronts Harcourt, and makes him really mad. We don't see the torture scene, but we see Ringo in a really bad shape, minus one eye. We learn the rest of his story, how he became a hitman, and how he got his name. Two guards approach, to take them back to the torture room. Tommy spots them, and tells Ringo. Ringo easily overpowers them both, while Tommy gets his butt kicked. They take their weapons, and are ready to confront Waterman. The final battle begins...

TOMMY:"I swear to god Ringo. I never knew a guy made bein' ten steps ahead look so friggin' simple." RINGO: "One of the things you learn as you go...that, Karate, knives, explosives, the garotte, and punching peoples hearts out...."

RINGO:"After uncle's death, I went freelance and moved to Gotham" TOMMY: "What happened to him?" RINGO:"I did..."

RINGO: "It's not like you don't know that killing is wrong: If you didn't your inhumanity would be complete. But you tell yourself all kinds of lies. Each time you do it, every life you take--"I won't be doing this much longer", "I can walk away and live it all behind." "Just one last hit"....So you live for tomorrow, hoping there'll be something better...something more than death...But there never is...."

Well, we finally got to see more of Ringo, he moves into the limelight, while Tommy sits back. We also learn who is the more powerfull of the two, as Tommy, is helpless without him. Ringo's life story was great, how he moved from being a concerned, decent, innocent person into a ruthless killer. Again the dialog is great and believable. The bit where Ringo confronts Harcourt is both cool, and funny, in a way. Overall, I could describe the story as "Forest Gump" meets "Pulp Fiction", and they have a baby that was dropped on its head. I can't wait for next issue...

For once I am going to say more about the art here, than the story. Here we see McCrea in his stomach-turning best. The images of small Ringo in the nuclear testing site, Ringo in his second year in Chinese jail solitary, Ringo after the tortures, Ringo as an immigrant, and Ringo as an assasin, are all incredibly powerful, and will stay in your mind for weeks after you read the issue. The page where Ringo says that his life is all about death is, in one word, stunning. Garry Leach's inks complement McCrea's inks greatly, so that Ennis' script gains life, in a fantastic, knightmarish kind of way. Carla's colours are dark, and moody, and go great with the art. I'll also say a good word about the letterist , Prentice, who had the idea to make Ringo's naration bits in red ink. This small detail adds strength and mood to Ringo's story, and makes us understand that his life is all about killing, and losing loved ones. All in all, the art in this issue is extremely powerful...every little bit to the lettering...

I only have one problem with the art though...The covers...They were nicely drawn and everything, but I think that issue #40's cover, with Tommy and Ringo in chains, in a cell was more suitable for this issue, and that this issue's cover, showing Tommy and Ringo getting electrocuted by the Waterman (something that we DON'T see happen in this issue, but at issue #40), was more suitable for issue #40. Could there be a mix-up in the covers? I hope so....