Lady Killer 2 #1 –
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Joelle Jones
Art by Joelle Jones
Colors by Michelle Madsen
America, circa 1950. It was a simpler time, right? Door to door sales were the norm. Everyone had one television, if they were lucky. The nuclear family was on display in almost every household. Then there’s a family where things aren’t always what they seem. Joelle Jones captured that beautifully in Lady Killer, and now she has brought Josie Schuller back and looking for her next hit (see what I did there.) So let’s find out what’s next after the aftermath of the first volume.
For the benefit of those readers who did not read the first volume, I will do my best not to spoil anything that happened there in this review. The Schuller family has found a new home, and Josie is back to doing what she does best. Tupperware sales seem to be a bit slow, but the assassination game seems to be going just fine. There are some brutal hits in this book, and I do mean brutal. I’m not stranger to books like these, but even I had to turn away for a couple of panels. Then there is her home life, where things are basically normal, other than one key family member. The first issue comes to a close when, under the cover of an errand, Josie is off on her next hit. Things don’t go exactly as planned, and we are left with a mystery headed into Issue 2.
Joelle Jones balances so much in this series. The misogynist nature and stereotypes of the 1950s are on full display, matched with a brutal assassin who is trying to fully master her craft. Madsen deserves a lot of credit here as well, as the colors really make this look like a period piece. Jones makes you feel like Josie wants to be a good killer, but also a good housewife. That balance is not easily pulled off, but it is in this book. When I say it’s brutal at times, it’s BRUTAL! What I love is that, it’s the story that grabs you and not the brutality. Often books like this have less substance, so they try to distract you with brutality. Lady Killer doesn’t have to do that. Dark Horse is in Hall H at Comic-Con International this year with the great Joss Whedon. The attention they are starting to garner is based not just on their licensed properties, but the kind of unique original titles that make you want to come back for more. Books like this go a long way to showing that Dark Horse isn’t trying to be a major player in the comic book industry, they’re flat out racing for one off the top spots.
RATING: PULL