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Pearl III #4 puts one character to bed, literally, and sees Pearl and her boyfriend have a heartfelt discussion. These two things tie the ongoing theme of coming to terms with things, such as fathers last time, in a way that is very relatable and human.
Mr. Miike’s Death
Mr. Miike tried to go out in a blaze of glory and ended up in a hospital making a fool out of himself. It was only a matter of time before the Yakuza got rid of him, he was already a liability in the previous volume. Pearl III #4 kills him off in a way that is nice and downplayed. We only spend a few scenes with him and of course, he is being his over-the-top entitled self. But as the reality of the situation begins to dawn on him, we see a part of Mr. Miike that we have only seen once before.
First, he is approached by the FBI and he has a choice. He can go out taking some of the Yakuza down with him or he can go quietly. We don’t know his decision, but we do know that he will be dead either way. I hope we find out in the following few issues just how petty Miike was. But regardless if he did it or not, we see him be far more calm than before.
When the Yakuza send their assassin to finish him off, Miike actually shows remorse. He admits that the way the Yakuza treat women is unfair, and in a way, it’s because of that behavior, that led to his downfall. The assassin asked to take him out quietly, and Miike realises that this was a mercy. In a nice bit of anti-cliché of gangster fiction, it is not a grand display of his death. He has been paying for his decisions and actions for a long time, but now he will try to show some dignity in his final moments. A rare glimpse of Mr. Miike, who started the series as an abuser, and with one exception was the embodiment of male entitlement in the criminal underworld.
Pearl Tanaka or Ghost Dragon?
As stated before in previous reviews, a lot of Pearl is about legacy and coming of age with a criminal twist. The first issue of the first volume was even styled as a romantic comedy in places. And in the previous two issues, the sense of legacy switched from Pearl’s mom to Pearl’s dad. As she came to terms with both of them and their legacy on her, the real question began to come into focus. Who is Pearl? Is she a young girl in love with her boyfriend, Rick Araki, or is she the Ghost Dragon of San Francisco?
In the last volume, Pearl and Rick tried to settle down and live a normal life in Japan. It didn’t end up going well, because the life of crime they had grown accustomed to seemed more fulfilling. But now their empire is crumbling, Miike gone, shop gone, Endo twins in trouble, and their deal with the FBI went up in smoke. They have to figure it out whether they can return now that they have nothing left. Specifically, Pearl has to deal with the fact there are two of her metaphorically. The fearsome Yakuza assassin or the tattoo artist.
So Pearl and Rick sit down and just talk it out. No explosions, no grand gestures, just two people in love trying to figure out what comes next in their life. Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos have such a connection as a creative team that their work blends into a cohesive whole that tells you a lot. Somehow, Bendis can convey this identity crisis in a down-to-earth way, with dialogue pulled straight out of normal life. Meanwhile, Gaydos can convey two people talking on a couch as a true conflict, and give us metaphorical pictures such as the tree with many leaves each with a different path for Pearl, in a that feels natural.
Pearl III #4 Is A Much Needed Breather Issue
Pearl III #4 is much slower than the previous issues, but this is a good thing. It’s about identity and coming to terms with one’s path in life. A comic can rarely convey that in a way that has authentic drama, yet this creative team did it.
