Lauren Gallo Comic Reviews

There are no answers yet, only questions right now but this series is off to a good start getting us there, and it's nice to see the Winter Soldier have a solo title again after last year's Winter Soldier run ended woefully too soon and Winter Soldier: The Bitter March was far too short of a limited run. Let's hope this one isn't cancelled after nineteen issues.

Overall, this felt more like a filler issue but a bit of an entertaining one as most things when Loki is at hand. Still, I look forward to the next issue and seeing if an over-arcing storyline will develop other than random planet of the week.

I really like that Josie isn't just "girly" as an act, she's tough and a killer but she does care if she gets blood on her clothes, and she probably really does love that coral blush she was pretending to sell, and that she can be both things- girly/feminine and ruthless. There have been other characters like that, but still not enough. That's part of what I think makes the decade this is all set it so great; she's not simply a Bond girl, she's Bond in a dress with eyeliner that is on point.

Given the set up for the next issue, I am really eager to see how Josie handles an assignment she clearly is hesitant over and how she continues to precariously dance between her two worlds.

What Lady Killer is doing well so far in three issues is having stand-alone stories in the form of Josie's operations, but also keeping a consistent overarching A and B plot as well, so nothing feels like filler yet. I hope this pacing keeps up and that the storytelling remains consistent because so far, so very good.

I still want to see more of Josie's backstory- how did she become a contracted killer? What is really ticking behind her perfected poker face? Maybe I'll get my answers in the next issue. If we're really winding down the end, I can't help but feel Lady Killer would make a fantastic movie or mini-series with its 60s nostalgia, gender subversion of the spy/assassin tropes, and the fact that it's been a rather tightly conceived and executed story.

Overall though, I really enjoyed Lady Killer, and while five issues feel brief, it's such a contained and well-paced story that I suppose it's more an amuse bouche than a buffet.

It probably goes without saying that I enjoy Jones' cheeky mid-century murderverse, and sometimes less complexity is more and this is one of those stories that proves it. Give this comic a chance, and pick up the trade version of the first series so you can get caught up. There might even be a familiar reviewer quoted on the back"

Other than that, Lady Killer 2 remains very much in the same, darkly cheeky vein of the first series: different kills of the week set within a not-too-complicated overarching story. Again, the thing I love about this series is it's smart without requiring too much deep thinking, the art is great-looking, and the way it plays up mid-century norms to almost satirical levels is a thing of beauty.

It could be that this another intentional choice on Jones' part; that Josie is the character we will never actually see a background of, only her in the now and going forward. It does keep a veneer of mystery to her, coupled with the tip-of-the-knife tension of if she's truly in it for now or not as the story escalates. She's managed to keep afloat so far, but how long can she make it before and if she starts to drown in the red of her other life.

Another great issue that gets the story quickly moving, and wonderful art from Jones as always.

Here's to you, Josie Schuller, may we revisit your story again.

That all being said, the art is good and consistent, and I do actually want to know more about this story, if anything to figure out who is who and what the deal is. I feel like the Steinback conversation at the start will have some meaning on this series, and how far one will go for their best friend, because its placement in this issue seemed almost obvious in terms of allegory.

This issue felt very brief, but serves to set the tone that will likely go forward in the story- brutality, a haunted feeling lingering under the surface, betrayal and magic. You see that despite appearances Rasputin is a wise man aware of his situation, and from the flashbacks that his early life was harsh. He also appears to have no qualms about facing death, or letting those he assumes deserving of it die. Given what we know about the famous mad monk, his ties to the Romanov dynasty, and his historic fate, it will be interesting to see how this book plays out.