Pretty Deadly #4
Story By: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Art By: Emma Ríos
Art By: Jordie Bellaire
Cover By: Emma Ríos
Cover Price: $3.50
Digital Price: $2.99
Diamond ID: NOV130512
Published: January 22, 2014
Every Death must love and every Death must die; the cycle of world demands it. The one who captures our last breath must breathe his last before becoming inured to the pain of loss. This cycle is ending. But this Death… will not go easy.
Joe Keatinge teams up with artist Leila del Duca for her Image Comics debut in an all-new ongoing series combining urban fantasy and globe-spanning adventure, Shutter.
Kate Kristopher, once the most famous explorer on Earth—an Earth that’s far more fantastical than the one we know, filled with demons, gorgons, phantom ninjas, and various other monsters of lore—is forced to return to the adventurous life she left behind when a family secret threatens to destroy everything she spent her life protecting.
Kate’s character can be described as a contemporary Indiana Jones. Keatinge described the series in a release:
We’re looking at the 21st Century, where it’s at and where it’s going, and considering what the Adventurer for its time might be like—what would Indiana Jones be like if created in 2014? What’s after Lara Croft?. We’re at a much different time than the pulps and serial Indiana Jones and, to an extent, Lara Croft, were rooted in—information from all remote corners of the world comes from great ease, where we’re more knowledgeable about other cultures, where technology enables us to access we could only dream about. Where do you go from there?
Shutter is a new, ongoing fantasy, adventure series coming to Image Comics on April 9, 2014, the first issue of which will feature variant covers by Dustin Weaver, Brandon Graham, and Emma Ríos.
In 2014, Brandon Graham will team up with four different creators to bring a series of science-fiction/fantasy miniseries set in a world ruled by eight houses to life.
The first of the series will be 8House: Kiem, written by Graham and drawn by Xurxo Penalta and follows a soldier who must project her mind into the body of her dead twin in order to fight monsters on a distant comet.
The second of the series is titled 8House: Arclight, written by Graham and featuring art by Marian Churchland. Arclight will bring readers the chilling story of a high-ranking lady of one of the houses who has her mind trapped in a monster’s body. She will soon learn that the monster trapped in her body has taken over her old life in her absence.
The last of the series will be 8House: Mirror, and will be written by Emma Ríos and drawn by Hwei Lim. 8House: Mirror will examine what it means to be “human” and promises to take readers on an ironic space opera battle between self-absorbed humans intent on their own survival and noble monsters striving to save their worlds.
Pretty Deadly #3
Art By: Jordie Bellaire
Story By: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Art By: Emma Ríos
Price: $2.99
Diamond ID: OCT130610
Published: December 18, 2013
All blood spilled into the earth makes its way to a river. Where those rivers meet, Fox attends the birth of a beast, the child of a thousand violent deaths.
Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky are the masterminds behind Sex Criminals, one of the hottest debuts of the year. Image Comics has announced that Sex Criminals #2 has sold out at the distributor level after one day on store shelves, and will be going back to press for a second printing. On top of that, Sex Criminals #1 is going back to press for an earth-shaking third printing to meet reader and retailer demand! Both issues hit shelves on 11/27 the same day as issue #3.
Rat Queens #2, from writer Kurtis J. Wiebe and artist Roc Upchurch, has also sold out at the distributor level after its first day of release! This marks the second consecutive sell-out for Wiebe and Upchurch’s tale of rowdy young adventurers, and is a sure sign that fans alike simply can’t get enough of this series. A second printing will also be available on 11/27 along with the third issue.
Not shockingly Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, the award-winning and bestselling team have reunited at Image Comics on Velvet, a hard-hitting espionage comic set during the height of the Cold War and international gamesmanship. Velvet #1, debuting this week, has sold out at the distributor and will be going back to press for a second printing to meet demand. The second printing arrives on 11/20, the same day as the second issue. Notice a pattern here?
Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos‘s Pretty Deadly #1, one of the most anticipated new releases of the year, has officially sold out at the distributor on its first day of release and will be going back to press for a second printing. DeConnick and Ríos’s fantasy western, featuring Death’s daughter in an Old West that’s equally influenced by magical realism and Japanese exploitation films as it is by spaghetti westerns, has already garnered an astronomical amount of praise from fans, press, and fellow creators. The second printing of the first issue will be available on 11/27 along with the second issue.
So as I went into reading this debut, I knew a few things about the comic. I knew that it was a western with a supernatural tinge. I knew that it was narrated by a dead bunny. And I knew it came from two wildly talented creators, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios. That being said, this book surprised me.
I’ve seen a lot of westerns, and I’ve seen a lot of supernatural movies and television, and read a lot of supernatural comics. Pretty Deadly set itself apart immediately, from the very first page. It structures itself more like a folktale than a western or a supernatural story. To have wildlife as narrators is a classic folktale move, dead or not. And the song/poem Sissy recites in the first major scene smacks of finality and destiny, abetted by the use of images like Tarot cards. Right off the bat this story seems preordained and unshakeable; we’re just along for the ride, as are the characters. Death finds everyone. As Bunny says when Butterfly asks if Fox and Sissy rode fast enough to escape, Bunny says, “Of course not, Butterfly. It never could have been.”
The narrative itself though is a little confusing. In fact, the woman who seems to be the driving force of the story, Deathface Ginny, the daughter of Death, is hardly even in this issue. I don’t think Ginny and Big Alice are the same (Alice lacks the skeleton marking on her face), and we only get four widescreen panels of Ginny on the very last page, and she’s just riding a horse. In fact, I’m not sure I could explain what this issue is about. It does such a great job with mood and tone, but the characters just aren’t quite there yet, the fact of which isn’t helped much by the semi-non linear narrative. There’s a pervasive sense of doom accompanying this book, and it has the kernels of a really fun and interesting story, but I think we’re going to have to wait until the second issue to see if the story is as fun as it could be.
One thing that is amazing about this book, though, is the art. Jordie Bellaire is at her best in a western setting. Towns are dust and brown and dirty, but the scenes of night and sunset in the desert are absolutely breathtaking. The skies move in blues and pinks and purples in a classic western, but still so vivid, manner. Emma Rios’ art is richly detailed, capturing the grit and grime of the western lifestyle perfectly, and the first few pages of the bunny and butterfly are lush in a way that’s hard to describe. Needless to say, this art is worth an extended reading. I tend to rush through pages to find out what comes next in the story, but if you slow down and really examine and savor each moment, you’ll constantly be rewarded.
Pretty Deadly is an intense book that manages to introduce a lot of moods, feelings, and story ideas into its debut. It’s unquestionably high quality work, and I like that the story tries to do interesting things structurally and narratively, even if the sum doesn’t quite measure up. It shows ambition and love, and I can’t wait to read the next issue.
Story: Kelly Sue DeConnick Art: Emma Rios Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Story: 8 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.
Pretty Deadly #1
Story By: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Art By: Emma Ríos
Cover Price: $3.50
Digital Price: $2.99
Diamond ID: AUG130504
Published: October 23, 2013
KELLY SUE DECONNICK (Avengers Assemble, Captain Marvel) & EMMA RÍOS (Dr. Strange, Osborn) reunite to bring you an all-new ongoing series that marries the magical realism of Sandman with the western brutality of Preacher. Death’s daughter rides the wind on a horse made of smoke and her face bears the skull marks of her father. Her tale of retribution is as beautifully lush as it is unflinchingly savage.
What happens when a troubled youth is plucked from modern society and thrust though time and space on a psychedelic journey into the heart of the Aztec civilization—one of the greatest and most bloodthirsty times in human history?
Before Sam Humphries was writing what seems like everything he was self-publishing this series which received raving reviews and praise. When it was first released, I read the first few issues, but then I stopped. Overall, I didn’t quite get what the hype was about.
This release which collects Sacrifice #1–#6 is now a chance to get this praised mini-series in your hands in printed form. I decided to give it another chance, and still walked away with the same feeling I had when I read those first couple of issues, what’s the hype about?
The story is absolutely interesting with a main character dragged through time, a reason we get more and more as the series continues. Is it all in his head due to his epilepsy, or is this really occurring? The six issues together are an odd collection of a story, with the vision being greater than the actual execution. Humphrie’s sacrifice doesn’t quite work for me.
The story is a bit choppy, taking it’s trip through time almost too literal, skipping key information that should have been explored in a digital comic where the narrative has greater freedom.
Dalton Rose’s art is pretty good and works well with the story. It doesn’t quite blow me away, but it fits the indie vibe of the series.
The title really beats you over the head as to what the story is about, and due to that, it’s hard to not see where the narrative is going. I can’t help but think that all the hype set too high of an expectation when I finally sat down and read the complete story. It’s not bad, but I can’t quite recommend people sacrificing their money for it. Their time ok, but for me, not quite worth the price tag.
Story: Sam Humphries Art: Dalton Rose, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Cliff Chiang, Paul Azaceta, Emma Rios
Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read
Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Ginny is Death’s daughter, a reaper of vengeance. She rides through the West on a horse made of smoke, her face tattooed with her heritage, and deals in revenge. She is the mysterious, elusive center of Pretty Deadly, the first creator-owned comics series by acclaimed writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Emma Ríos, coming from Image Comics in October.
Simultaneously beautiful and savage, Pretty Deadly will unfold over the course of an ongoing story that DeConnick and Ríos developed together, creating a world and characters that are entirely their own. At the same time, DeConnick and Ríos say, it’s almost as if Pretty Deadly has a will of its own that guides the action.
Having worked together on Marvel’s Osborn, DeConnick and Ríos found common ground in their love of Westerns and Japanese cinema for Pretty Deadly. DeConnick was inspired by spaghetti westerns, Japanese “pinky violence” films, and Grimm’s fairy tales, while Ríos found her visual language for the series by absorbing both Westerns and samurai films. Colorist Jordie Bellaire maintains the earthy, dusty atmosphere of the art, as well as the magical tone of the story, thanks to a subdued palette punctuated with bursts of vivid color.
The first issue of an ongoing series, Pretty Deadly #1 will be in stores on October 23 and can be pre-ordered from the August issue of Previews (AUG130504).
Morning Glories #27
Story by: Nick Spencer
Art By: Joe Eisma
Cover By: Joe Eisma
Variant Cover by: Jenny Frison, Rob Guillory, Shawn Martinbrough, Jamie McKelvie, Nick Pitarra, Emma Rios, Christian Ward
Price: $3.99
“THERE IS NO BEGINNING”
The double-sized Season 2 premiere! With an astonishing array of covers by some of the hottest artists working today: JENNY FRISON, ROB GUILLORY, SHAWN MARTINBROUGH, JAMIE McKELVIE, EMMA RIOS and MORNING GLORIES’ own JOE EISMA!
