Up until now, the 1970s setting for Velvet’s saga was little more than an interesting backdrop. Over-the-top spy adventures were at their height back then, so it fit with the Velvet motif. Now, however, the reasoning behind the timeframe for the comic has suddenly become clearer. Apparently, the death of Agent X-14 and subsequent cover up that our heroine has been investigating are both linked to Watergate. So, to get her answers, Velvet needs to talk to President Nixon.
As we open, Colt, the agent tasked with tracking Velvet’s movements, is investigating the sudden disappearance of the President. Meanwhile, in flashback, Velvet enacts an intricate plan to gain access—however brief—to the leader of the free world and find out what he knows. It’s a similar situation to the second National Treasure movie, though, of course, Brubaker and Epting do it much better.
That’s one of the things I’ve loved about this comic from the beginning: the clever ways that Velvet finds to accomplish nearly impossible tasks with almost no resources. She can get into the most secure places in the world and gain access to the most secure people using nothing but her wits and her training. Velvet truly is a force to be reckoned with.
We’re nearing the end of the third arc of this comic, The Man Who Sold the World. Velvet is finally getting closer to the answers she’s been looking for all this time, as well as the people pulling the strings of this entire plot. It kind of makes me worry that we’re nearing the end of the entire Velvet saga. I rather hope not.
Of course, sooner or later, Velvet does need to resolve the situation she’s been caught up in, otherwise, it’s just an espionage version of Lost; however, once this story is complete, I hope Brubaker and Epting find another adventure to put Velvet in the middle of. The character, and the comic as a whole, are just too good to let go.
This is a great comic, as always, and definitely worth a read. If you’ve been following the Velvet saga up to this point, then you’ll want to check out this latest issue to see how a number of things play out. And, if you haven’t been reading the Velvet saga up to this point… why on Earth not?