LADY KILLER #1
Review by Paul Fiander
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The depiction of a 1960’s housewife with a mop in hand is not unusual, the wholesome homemaker is an image we are all familiar with however the cover for Lady Killer has another rather unusual addition to the typical scene, Blood. The cover was created by Joelle Jones and Laura Allred the artist and colourist on the series and thankfully this is a book you can truly judge by its cover. The colours by Allred are bright and have a very sixties feel each panel feels full of colour; this is certainly not a book you fall asleep looking at as your senses are continually challenged.
Artistically the imagery is just as strong as we get to see a range of characters all with very distinctive looks. The clean angular features of Mrs Schuller are in stark contrast to the wrinkled face of her mother in law. Both women along with the supporting cast feel completely authentic within the artistic narrative from Jones. Most importantly both sides of the art work together to produce a lovely visual experience. The narrative is split into two distinct sections, both deals with a separate aspect of Josie’s life. We open with her performing her “day job”; this is where the more dangerous side of the character is revealed. The way the tension is built with the dialogue from writers Jones and Rich is great and when the action takes over it moves a break neck speed. In the second stanza things become more mundane when family life comes to the fore. However you cannot miss the fly in the ointment of our Lady-killer’s double life in the form of her mother in law. The tension between the two of them feels one sided but whether this is true or just a spot of great acting has yet to be seen (and I for one am looking forward to their relationship evolving). Overall this is a miniseries that feels like it has some teeth, the visuals cast and plot all work well together and the creative team feel like they have a handle on the cadence of the story. If you enjoy undercover assassin stories then this will be for you, as for me I’m already caught in the Lady-killers web. For a slightly spoilery preview click here |
Looking backwards at another title from Jamie S. Rich and another female assassin that you may enjoy reading about.
Comic and Images courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.