So finally Teeg Lawless meets his appointed violent fate. Given that he is such a dislikable character and the death has been foreshadowed for this entire run it felt a somewhat mechanical exercise to read through the conclusion.
There is a twist! Having heavily outlined the probable scenario for the conclusion there's a swerve at the end which feels earned but which also renders the lead in as heavy-handed. This story is a kind of prequel to the main series, which I haven't read; maybe if I had I'd feel differently about how the story unspools.
Given Teeg's general unpleasantness (which renders much of the pulp twist at the end of the story implausible, why wouldn't anyone kill him in self-defense?) much of the emotional journey of the story is placed on the shoulders of the abused Ricky Lawless.
Ricky is really the only character that has a proper interior life in this story. You're not rooting for him, he's also the story's one piece of naturalism. He's been born down, he doesn't get a break and he isn't going to be redeemed. His spirit is crushed from an early age and he doesn't have the strength of character to overcome his numerous struggles.
His story also provides a good argument for trying to create a better juvenile justice system, although that's more something the reader infers. The pulp influence on the story prevents a deeper social critique.
The heist section at the end of the book is pretty good and is the place where Teeg's sentimentality and rage are used to good effect. The tension rises over these scenes as you know the denouement must be near and the long and short term story arcs converge.
Sean Phillips' artwork is a joy as ever and possibly for the end of this series he is the person who was pulling me from issue to issue. Thank goodness he doesn't get tired of drawing people with broken noses.