Lady Killer

Dark Horse

Lady Killer
Jamie S. Rich
Joelle Jones
2015

The Summary
"Josie Schuller is a picture-perfect homemaker, wife, and mother - but she's also a ruthless, effiecient killer!  She balances cheerful domestic bliss with coldly performed assassinations, but when Josie finds herself in the crosshairs, her American-dream life is in danger!

"This new, original black-comedy series combines the wholesome imagery of early mid-century domestic bliss with a tightening web of murder, paranoia, and cold-blooded survival."

The Good
Let me say one thing first:  Wow.  Just - wow.

I am not (usually) the type to enjoy graphic illustrations of violence; however, I really enjoyed Lady Killer.  Josie is a really great character.  Complex, considering her dueling identities as American housewife and cold-blooded assassin, but she's competent and intelligent - and, holy cow, she's tough as nails.  As her creators pointed out in an interview with Comics Alliance, Josie is "one of the most capable people you'd be likely to meet."

Girl power, you know?

I also like Josie because she's a character who is constantly evolving.  When she encounters a problem, she works to resolve it; when she's faced with life-and-death decisions, she makes them and adapts her strategies.  You get to see multiple sides of her personality and, more importantly, you get to see her worlds collide - and how she deals with it.

Additionally, I liked the intrigue involved.  Josie's story is neither straight-forward nor simple:  It's an intricately woven series of events, murders, and decisions that have lead up to a specific point in her life.  It's her fight for survival (which is simple enough to understand), but it's riddled with complex relationships and political affiliations that gives it an undercurrent of suspense, reflecting a power-struggle that's much bigger than Josie could ever imagine.

I should note that, while the story is amazing, so is the art.  I absolutely loved the colors and the style of Lady Killer; in fact, I loved everything about it.  The artist does a fantastic job of drawing details - accurate historical details, I might add - and, more importantly, bringing each individual character to life.  This beautiful imagery, combined with exceptional storytelling, makes Lady Killer one of the best comics I've read this year.

(Besides the ongoing story of Spider-Gwen, of course.)

The Bad
Honestly, I have no complaints.  Lady Killer was an exceptional comic with incredible characters, an amazing story, and wonderful artistic details.

The Ugly
Gore.  Lots and lots of gore - let me amend, lots and lots of graphic depictions of gore and violence.  It's really quite disturbing, and I'm saying this after I started reading the new Fight Club.

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For more about Comic Alliance's interview from Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich, check out:  http://comicsalliance.com/joelle-jones-jamie-s-rich-lady-killer-interview/