Review: The Rinse #4

Issue 4 is the final issue in crime novelist Gary Phillips’ excellent BOOM! Studios mini series The Rinse. The series follows Jeff Sinclair, who’s job is to widely distribute, or rinse, stolen money. He takes a job rinsing stolen casino money, but when the kingpin of Vegas, Steve Maxon, sets out to get his stolen money back, things start going south for Sinclair.
Issue 4 wraps the story up nicely, with some great action as Maxon and Sinclair finally showdown. There’s guns, grenades, a car chase – everything you want from a good crime story. The bad guys are suitably aggressive, while still being realistic, and even though he’s a criminal, you really want Sinclair to come out on top. It’s funny how crime stories work like that.
The issue is suspenseful, as well. There were a couple of times when I thought Sinclair was going to get shot – you’re just never sure how it’s going to play out until it has.
Artist Marc Laming and colourist Darrin Moore do an amazing job in setting the tone for the book, which is really important in crime fiction. A large part of this book is set during a rainy evening, and it really enhances the action. If you haven’t been reading the issues, I strongly recommend picking up the trade when it comes out, especially if you’re a fan of crime comics like Brubaker’s Criminal and Rucka’s Queen and Country.