Lost Vegas #3

"Third Hand  |  Down to the Felt"
written by Jim McCann
art by Janet Lee

As suggested by closing pages of Lost Vegas #2, by improbable happenstance and Roland's own oft-suppressed principles, his personal escape plan has evolved into an all-out rebellion.  His allies—once only telepathic roommate blob Ink, tech man Rinny, and fellow Janus exile Loria—are multiplying.  Now seemingly in collusion with Princess Kaylex, her physically imposing science deer, and apparently a Godspark itself, though its motivations are less clear than he would like, Roland finds himself on the same ship with Ensign Scotsorn, the military commander directly responsible for the complete Death-Star-like annihilation of his planet, the brutal end of the God-War, and the political and military composition of the galaxy.  And as much as he'd like to think he'd selfishly save himself, Roland, like Loria, can't pass up the opportunity for revenge.

We also finally learn Loria's history, in particular her history with Roland himself, with whom she fled her soon-to-be-destroyed planet, and the circumstances of her employment on the Lost Vegas.  It is, in all appearances, even worse than Roland's own, a series of exploitative foremen, near-rape, and betrayal jealous servant, before being marooned on the casino spaceship.  Her bitterness is easily understood.

For the most part, however, Lost Vegas #3 feels like a penultimate episode.  The confrontation between the clever and willful Kaylex and the cruel power-monger Scotsorn is satisfying, despite for the moment his victory.  As is her spat with the semi-desperate Loria, whose humiliation and frustration at her failure are palpable, but whose willingness to recover and make amends is admirable.  But its cliffhanger is both appropriate and well-earned.  Roland, the gambler, is set to make the "final bet," a gladiatorial-style combat in which he is hopelessly over-matched.