Doc Samson #2

Title: “Body Double”

Writer: Dan Slott

Penciller: Ken Lashley pgs 1-11, Steve Geiger pgs 12-17, and Roberto Flores pgs 18-23

Inkers: Jaime Mendoza with Robert Hedden and Dan Panosian

Colors: Christie Steele with Ian Laughlin

Editor: Chris Cooper

Editor in Chief: Bobbie Chase?

Samson struggles with the monster in the East River. He says that this stinks and that he is only supposed to be a consultant on this job. Samson gets loose and starts trying to get to the surface. Samson makes it up to the surface and gets a breath of air. The cop asks Samson if he is okay. Samson says to just give him a second. Samson’s beeper starts going off. He looks and sees that Polaris is trying to reach him again. The monster surfaces and drags Samson back under. The cop loses Samson with the searchlight. Sharp tells him to keep on it, and that they’ll have to surface sometime. Sharp says that speaking of surfacing sometime she wonders where the She-Hulk is. Rudy Pinkerston of the New York Star comes up to Sharp and asks if it is true that they have cornered the Patchwork killer. Sharp give him a no comment. Pinkerston tells “Sharpie” that if he can get him an exclusive about the Patchwork killer that he will make it worth her while. Sharp says that if he wants an exclusive that he can have it. She knocks his recording device into the East River. She says, “Here you go, Pinky”.

She-Hulk finally pulls up to the crime scene in her car. She says that she is some hero and bets that Cap or Widow wouldn’t have let traffic hold them up. She-Hulk looks around at the devastation and says that it looks like someone has been redecorating in “early Bosnia”. She-Hulk spots the police lights a little further down and says that must be Sharp and her people. She-Hulk says that she had better get moving or she will miss all the action. A voice comes from behind She-Hulk and says, “That lil’ green missy-miss will not be a problem!” Patchwork palms She-Hulk’s entire torso in his hand and smashes her against a wall. She-Hulk says, “It’s you!” Patchwork replies, “Yes! It’s I! Who kisses the girls and makes them cry!” She-Hulk starts punching Patchwork in the face over and over. She says that ever since she saw what he did to those girls that she has wanted to cut loose on him. She-Hulk’s fists are seemingly glowing. Patchwork laughs and licks his lips over his long sharp teeth.

Below the water, the creature is wrapped around Samson. Samson notices that the creature is laughing at him. Samson thinks that the creature can laugh at him because he doesn’t have an ounce of leverage.

She-Hulk notices that something is happening to her skin. She asks what is going on. Patchwork says that it is just like She-Hulk said. He says that she is going to give him everything she gots. He says that she is going to give him her strength, her power, and all her lovely bits and pieces… right down to her “precious little green eyes!”

Suddenly the creature holding Samson lets him loose. Samson says that it looks like the creature has been taking on a new gamma form and is fighting it all the way. Samson starts to think that he hasn’t seen anything like this since Bruce integrated his personalities, but he stops himself and says that now is the time to act and not to think. Samson punches the monster in the stomach.

Jennifer Walters screams as all the gamma radiation is siphoned off of her. Patchwork asks her how it feels to shrink within his claws. Jen gets so small that she actually slips out of Patchwork’s hands. Jen starts to run away, but trips over the body of the dead woman Patchwork just killed. Patchwork asks Jen if she likes her. He says that she was his “green-eyed prize”, but that Jen’s eyes are much nicer. Jen slides in-between two very close building walls to try and slink away from Patchwork. Jen asks God to please make him go away as she passes out. Patchwork tells her not to be silly, and that if he wanted to that he could tear down these walls to get her. He says that it isn’t worth the effort because he already has green eyes, and that is all he needs to make the “pretty pictures”. Patchwork drags away the corpse of the woman he killed.

Samson drags the monster out of the water. Everyone is cheering him. Sharp says that this case is closed. Samson says that he doesn’t think so. He says that this is not the killer. Sharp asks if she has two giant green freaks running around her city. Samson says that according to the files they went over that the traces of the killer’s blood had no barr bodies in the white blood cells . Sharp says that only indicates that the killer is a man. Samson says that this creature is a female. Sharp asks Samson how he knows that. Samson says that he is a doctor.

Away from the scene, Pinkerton is phoning in that they caught the Patchwork killer to his paper. He says that they are draggin him down to Sharp’s precinct right now.

Sharp looks in on the creature in the cell. She asks Samson if the creature could break out of there if she wanted to. Samson walks in with a crate on his shoulder. He says that she might be able to, but that since they have isolated their guest that her mass has continued to go down. He says that he bets that her power level has dropped off as well. Sharp asks what is up with the crate. Samson says that it is some of his equipment from an old Hulkbuster base. He says that he thought that it might be helpful so he had his secretary send it up to him. Sharp picks out his old spandex and compliments him on it. Samson picks out the piece that he was looking for. He says that it is a geiger counter of his own design that locks onto individual gamma signatures. He looks at it and says that he was right. Samson asks Sharp if she remembers what she told him about gamma beings and their outer form. Sharp says that they conformed to the host’s inner desires. Samson says that makes each gamma signature as unique as a fingerprint. He points to the geiger counter and says that her gamma signature is steadily changing to match his. Samson says that their guest is kind of like his geiger counter latching on and copying gamma signatures. Sharp asks Samson what that means for them. Samson says that as long as she is partially tapped into Patchwork’s form “Geiger” can offer them peeks into the killer’s mind.

At the New York Star, Pinkerton stands at the printing presses looking at his latest cover story. Pinkerton says that he is going to go dust off a space for his Pulitzer. The Chief says that he isn’t so sure about that, but that it should get everyone’s attention. Pinkerton says that it is going to hypnotize them.

Samson sits inside the cell with Geiger. He says that Patchwork was trying to tell him something earlier about “pretty pictures”. Geiger says, “I gots two green eyes. They’re all you needs for pretty pictures!” Samson says, “The better to see you with?” Geiger laughs and says, “Big bad wolf! Funny-fun-fun! No not my green eyes… girly green eyes for the girlie-girl sockets all the way back home. See? Ain’t they just perfect?” Geiger is seeing a phantom of the woman killed earlier. Geiger says that the woman goes out back for a smoke every night. Samson asks if he has been following this one or if this is someone that he knows. Geiger leaps at the phantom and says that he has to kill her now. Samson asks if he is going to play with her first. Geiger says that “he” has to shut her up before she screams. Samson asks if he is afraid of getting caught. Geiger says that “he” mustn’t get punished. Samson asks if he knows that this is morally wrong. Geiger breaks through the Patchwork persona and begs Samson not to make her go through this again. Sharp tells Samson not to let her out of it yet, but Samson says that she is being possessed by the mind of a madman and that she needs his help. Samson holds Geiger and says that there is a way out. He tells her to cast off the creature’s form and to focus on him. He says to take his shape, form, and thoughts. Geiger breaks loose and turns from a creature into an attractive young woman with long green hair. Samson says that it is over now. Geiger starts talking about all those psycho dreams. Samson says that they weren’t dreams. Geiger tells Samson that she is that Patchwork killer that they have been looking for. Samson tells her that she is not, but Geiger starts lamenting over all those people. Sharp says that she has a severe case of angst and that maybe she copied Samson too closely. Sharp says that Geiger is going to have to trust them that she is not the killer, but that since she knows how he thinks that what she knows about him can save lives. Suddenly a brick is hurled through a window of the building.

A cop enters the room and says that they have to get this prisoner out the back pronto. Sharp asks what is going on. Coleman says that what is happening is the evening edition of the New York Star. He says that they reported that they got the Patchwork killer locked up here and now they have a bloodthirsty mob on their hands. Samson says that he will take care of this and asks Sharp if she can stay with Geiger. Sharp asks if she will revert into a monster. Samson says that she won’t because she is focusing on him right now. Samson says that it is like having two of him. Sharp says that is just what she needs.

Samson asks for anyone’s attention and says that the reports that they received were wrong. He says that they do not have the Patchwork killer. The people think that he is lying and say that they should just rush him. They say that it is a hundred to one. Samson rips up a long piece of steel and blocks them all. He says that a hundred to one is the odds he gives any of them actually getting by him.

Inside Geiger starts sensing Patchwork. She says that he is about to make the “pretty pictures”. Geiger is seeing Patchwork standing over two bodies. He says that it is time to make the little pieces put together. Patchwork grabs at the woman’s eyes and discovers that she was wearing green tinted contact lens. Patchwork screams his frustration and Geiger screams along with him. Sharp tells Geiger tells her to snap out of it. Geiger says that Patchwork didn’t get what he wanted and that he is going to strike again.

Samson apologizes to an old woman that is trying to get past him. He says that there is nothing there for her to accomplish. One of the crowd says to be nice to her because her daughter was one of Patchwork’s first. The crowd says that the victims were all their friends and family. Samson says that he understands their pain and he promises to them that he will bring Patchwork in before he can kill again. He tells them all to please go home, and that everything will be taken care of. Samson gives his card to the old woman and tells her if she needs someone to talk to that he can be reached at this number. Samson walks back into the precinct and wonders when he became such a liar. The cop at the desk says that he has a message for him. Samson guesses correctly that a woman named Lorna wants him to call her back. The cop asks how he knew that. Samson says that he didn’t think it could get any worse, but then he walks back into the room with Sharp and Geiger. Geiger is dressed in Samson’s old costume with the lightning bolt on the chest. Sharp says that Geiger wants to help. Samson says no. Sharp says that Patchwork is going to strike again tomorrow night. Samson asks how she knows that. Geiger says that she sensed it. She says that she can still hear him in her head. Sharp says that Geiger is Samson’s best chance at finding Patchwork. Geiger tells Samson to admit that he needs her. Samson says all right, but that the costume has to go. Geiger says that she doesn’t think so. Sharp says that Samson has a sidekick now and asks if a Samson-signal on the roof is next.

Leader’s Lair rating: 8 out of 10

Still a great story. Patchwork demolishes She-Hulk and establishes himself as a true threat. Samson is handled quite well and I wish that this was more than just a mini-series. Seems that my guess that Lashley couldn’t work fast enough to keep up was right. He splits the issue with two other artists this issue and he doesn’t come back. Lashley is still very impressive. The other artists do a decent enough job, but they’re not quite as stylistic as Lashley. Good work though and this is an enjoyable read.

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