This issue of The Empty Man was a bit more set-up and some increasing mystery as to who the characters are and what they want out of the situation. I’m ready to see how it plays out.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
So, we have the growing number of cases that are attributed to the Empty Man. Denver, CO has a driver who steered directly into oncoming traffic, killing everyone he hit. Newton Grove, NC has a housewife who attempted to blend parts of her body and ingest them to “feel complete.” Seattle, WA has a group of teenagers mutilating themselves in order to show their “true faces.” Fort Wayne, IN has a man who funneled 2 gallons of bleach into his belly to “cleanse the vermin that nested there.” And Santa Fe, NM had a nurse who smothered a dozen patients in their beds because she said death was the only true form of healing that would be recognized. All these cases were left with the same calling card at the scene – “The Empty Man Made Me Do It.” Added to that is the fact that infants are being abducted from their homes, and one of their mutilated body is discovered under the treadmill at a gym by some unsuspecting patron. Things are getting dangerous.
Meanwhile, we center in on the family situation with Vicki, Melissa, and Andrew. Vicki is talking to the FBI and CDC officials, who want to know more about her mother. And while they are curious, she’s tight-lipped, so they leave her their number and she resumes her journey home. The situation at home is just as complicated, as Andrew is dealing with the visiting Whisper Oracles. And despite their insistence that they should take Melissa away to help her, neither Andrew nor Melissa is keen on that. Everyone knows that Melissa will get worse, and Andrew’s already showing the strains of stress about the entire situation, but hopefully the family can stay together. And now that Vicki changed her mind and has reached out for help from the agents, maybe they have a leg up. Or maybe they’re inviting an even shadier force into their homes.
The agents have their own secrets. One of them is clearly infected, though she’s on medication that could help control the outbreak. If only they could mass produce it and help the world at large. For now, though, they have their secrets, as do the Whisper Oracles, and the world is going crazy under the Empty Man’s influence. I look forward to seeing how bad it gets before there is some light of hope. Or maybe that will never happen and the world will descend into an apocalyptic chaos. I’m along for the journey!
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
