Moonshine vol. 3: Rue Le Jour

After a short stint as part of a chain gang, Lou Pirlo has finally made it to Rue Le Jour in New Orleans.  It’s here that he meets up again with his paramour Delia, who has reunited with her sisters.  (Or are they her mothers, who can really say?)  Delia has asked them to help remove the werewolf curse that Lou has been suffering from, and they’re willing to help — for the right price.  Now, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that the wayward mobster finds himself in trouble while using his gambling skills to rustle up the necessary cash.  What will surprise you is it’s not entirely of his making this time around.  That’s because Delia didn’t tell Lou that she has a former flame, and they had a decisive falling out when he wanted more from her than she was willing to give.  Said flame is still in town, and is keen on the idea of getting his woman back, even if it means breaking her werewolf boyfriend to do it.

As I said in the previous volume, creators Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso did a great job of creating an entertaining surface in their telling of Lou’s stint on the chain gang.  That remains true here as the werewolf mobster finds himself all that the town has to offer.  Whether it’s gambling in back alleys or back rooms, being drunkenly guided by ghosts through a cemetery, or embracing his inner beast, Lou’s actions do offer a certain darkly confident charm.  The thing is that’s still all this series has to offer.  Oh, Delia does get her moments to shine, particularly at the end, but it’s clear to see that this isn’t her story.  Neither is it the Holt Family’s, as they get a couple scenes in this volume to let you know that they haven’t been forgotten about.  Azzarello and Risso’s charting of Lou’s fall is certainly entertaining on its own terms, yet it’s also becoming clear to see that this is basically all that “Moonshine” has to offer us.