Random Happenstance

We mentioned Trekker the other day, and based on the description for the Ominbus I'd guess I've read...maybe a third of the series? More than I'd have guessed. I had thought there was a bit more; like today's series, which I've read maybe 10% of? From 1991, Grimjack #80, "Behind Blue Eyes" Written by John Ostrander, pencils by Flint Henry, inks by Bruce Patterson.

Karma can be a bitch, especially when you invested in the junk bond version of it: James "Grimjack" Twilley's family is up to their elbows in bad debt, after a financial crash on Cynosure that might be Grimjack's doing...He was off the hook since he had long since been disowned, but his dad and brothers were facing liquidation. Possibly literally. Grimjack notes that's a little harsh for this kind of thing, but the "adjudicator" handling the case won't cut a deal, and is going to throw the book at them. His baby sister has already been sold into prostitution...

Confronting the adjudicator, Grimjack realizes the problem: it's former warden Jagart, who he had previously conned into getting a pardon. Jagart was going to get his revenge through his family; and this seems like the kind of problem that could be solved with violence, but Grimjack decides to try a different tack.

It's going to come to a confrontation, but the stakes and the tension ratchet up more before the close: Grimjack tries to call in some favors, including contacting a dead wizard; but sees his own afterlife as a blasted wasteland, indicating his own karma might not be doing so well. Jagart receives a note (possibly, but possibly not from Grimjack) indicating for each one that dies, he would lose a member of his rosy-cheeked, Puritan-looking family. Columbo makes a cameo as a cop telling Jagart that note wasn't really enough to go on, and Jagart's superiors suggest maybe he shouldn't abuse his power (or press his luck) by going after Grimjack's family; they weren't going to waste the expenditure (or lives) defending his family if it came down to it. His wife says they are "sacrifices on the altar of (his) pride!" and has a point, but Jagart can't back down. Instead, he goes to have an illegal hit put on Grimjack; as Grimjack's dad is headed to "default."

I had thought this might be the last issue of the series when I grabbed it, but I'll definitely have to watch for the conclusion: Jagart only had twenty thousand credits, which I'm guessing doesn't buy the kind of quality hitters that could give Grimjack the serious hassle, but I want to see if I was wrong.