Kill Or Be Killed (Image Comics) has been, over its last six issues, a probing of the psyche of a spree killer. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have slowly been disassembling the social anxieties and ugly realities of the ’70s-style white-knight gun-toting vigilante from so many Charles Bronson and John Wayne movies, and it’s been fascinating. So this issue they throw us a complete curveball by switching protagonists.
To this point, we’ve seen Kira, the woman Dylan is in and out of love with, solely from his perspective. This issue is told entirely through her eyes and doesn’t even deal with Dylan until the very end. Instead we learn just where Kira learned all her bad habits, in a surprisingly intimate issue where she goes to her therapist, tries to confront her terrible mother, and winds up in about the worst place, literally and emotionally, possible, before the issue drops an unexpected plot twist out of nowhere.
It’s both a fascinating way to flesh out what’s been a stock character in some respects, and gives the book a gut-wrenching turn. Once again it’s a reminder that Kill Or Be Killed is a lot more than just another book about a man in a mask with a gun, and one of the better arguments for comics as art, right now.
Dead Inside #4, Dark Horse
John Arcudi and Toni Fejzula’s story about a Jail Crimes unit uncovering a conspiracy inside a prison is building to a huge payoff, and this issue is one of the most compelling yet. Arcudi has constructed a smart take on the crime thriller based on how investigations are actually conducted, with politics and ego sometimes trumping common sense and solving the case, and Fejzula’s distorted anatomy heightens the unnerving atmosphere of a prison about to explode. Dead Inside is easily one of the best crime thrillers in comics at the moment, and a must-read for mystery fans.
Sex Criminals #17, Image Comics
Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s story of people who get superpowers when they have an orgasm follows both the unfulfilled Myrtle Spurge and her target, a fetishist making, well… the dude makes what the book calls “F*** Smurfs,” and it might be the weirdest idea this book has unleashed. ever. And considering it’s featured anime characters made out of bodily fluids, that’s saying something. It also pulls off the neat trick of showing who Spurge is, as a person, and why she’s so awful without directly delving into it, and explains that while she’s something of a fascist, perhaps what she does isn’t totally unnecessary when you’ve got clay golems tag-teaming somebody’s burrito at the mall.
Batwoman #1, DC Comics
Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion IV turn Batwoman into James Bond with their take, a view that’s helped considerably by the lush art of Steve Epting. Batwoman has a fancy yacht, her very own Pennyworth (Julia, Alfred’s daughter), and all those wonderful toys. Unfortunately for her, the mission almost immediately takes Kate Kane into her troubled past, and a woman she likely hoped she’d never see again. It’s an intriguing angle to take, and spy fans in particular will want to pick this up.
Ms. Marvel #16, Marvel
G. Willow Wilson and Takeshi Miyazawa’s latest arc takes a smart turn, in the run-up to the finale, where Ms. Marvel is confronted with, essentially, a sentient virus that’s literally a troll, thanks to learning everything it knows about human interaction from the internet and MMOs. Yes, the point isn’t subtle, but this issue pays off a few emotional arcs that have been simmering for a while, and makes a subtle point about bullying worth remembering, especially now.
Star-Lord #4, Marvel: Chip Zdarsky and Kris Anka offer a hilarious take on supervillains and their discontents, as Star-Lord uncovers a dark plot and gets involved in a heist because, well, of course he does.
American Gods: Shadows #1, Dark Horse: P. Craig Russell is the real star here, adapting both the beloved novel and a side story, although the latter is a bit more successful than the former, in that it doesn’t have the novel to get hung up on. Still, if you haven’t read the book, this is a well-done adaptation.
The Wild Storm #2, DC Comics: Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt’s take on the ’90s comics about superheroes and secret conspiracies ruling the world, namely that they’re all cynical and realized too late that running a secret conspiracy is kind of a crap job, is even more dryly funny and engaging than the first issue.
James Bond: Felix Leiter #3, Dynamite: Bond’s CIA equivalent continues to offer a heck of a fun time in this brisk, pulpy miniseries.
Coady And The Creepies #1, BOOM! Studios: Liz Prince and Amanda Kirk debut a fairly interesting concept, about a punk band that survives a car crash and struggles with the unwanted fame and personal problems that come with it. It almost doesn’t need the supernatural twist, but that adds a bit of whimsy to the proceedings.
This Week’s Best Collections
Will Eisner: A Centennial Celebration, Dark Horse (Hardcover, $50): It’s hard to oversell how important Will Eisner is to comic history, and this overview of a French exhibit of his work offers some valuable insight both into how Eisner pioneered the comic book as we know it and then, in the late ’70s, the graphic novel.
JSA: The Golden Age Deluxe Edition, DC Comics (Hardcover, $35): James Robinson and Paul Smith’s smart, disturbing take on DC’s ’30s heroes, seen through a post-WWII, paranoid lens remains one of the best takes on the flashy mystery men of yore.
Bad Machinery: The Case Of The Team Spirit, Oni Press (Softcover, $10): John Allison’s clever riff on Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew-style mystery has been a bit tough to find, making this rerelease at an introductory price a welcome arrival.