Fernando Ruiz and Dan Parent have got the makings of a possible grindhouse style, pulp, cult comic on their hands. I decided to review this one simply because I thought the title sounded cool. The first couple of pages were over the top campy but, I think that’s what sucked me in. The whole comic was super meta at times and switched from the real world to the comic book, to the comic book in the comic book. If you allow yourself to go with it, you’ll have just as much fun with Die Kitty Die #1 as I did.The artwork was reminiscent of the old school Archie comics which is what they were going for (and not surprising considering Parent’s history with the company). It worked well with the story that they were telling and the tone of the script. The intro of Kitty and the reveal of her witch powers in the opening mini scene was very well done. The flash forward to an adult kitty looking back on her comic book and spin-off empire was also well done. There was an abruptness to it that played off of the nostalgia in the first story.

The artwork was reminiscent of the old school Archie comics which is what they were going for (and not surprising considering Parent’s history with the company). It worked well with the story that they were telling and the tone of the script. The intro of Kitty and the reveal of her witch powers in the opening mini scene was very well done. The flash forward to an adult kitty looking back on her comic book and spin-off empire was also well done. There was an abruptness to it that played off of the nostalgia in the first story.

There were a few not so subtle callbacks to the old comics and some pretty blatant similarities between a few of the main characters that the comic books drawn from. It could have given off a stale vibe, except it felt original because of the dark turn the characters took. Ruiz and Parent paid homage to the oldies but, made them better, the way that Marvel’s Deadpool is way better than DeathStroke.

I also like the way that they let Kitty be in control of her own sexuality without making her an object, in fact, they made it so that when she was seen as an object she was able to take back control. Kitty has good business sense and she’s used it to make serious bank, she’s beautiful but she’s also smarter than people give her credit for. I like that instead of going for cheap gratuitous nudity, Ruiz and Parent chose to highlight Kitty’s figure in a way that would make the audience feel like they were being silly for focusing on it any longer than necessary. Their drawing and wording put out a very clear but, subtle message that said, “Yes! She has breasts. Now can we move on with the story?”

Die Kitty Die takes a darker turn towards the end of the story with a twist that’s best to be left to be experienced by the reader.

Ruiz and Parent picked a perfect point to stop this issue. It left the readers invested in Kitty and her story but, it also put us on the edge of our seats. Would Kitty escape the clutches of her traitor friend? Will she survive the series? Will she turn the tables on her publishers? So many questions and so long to wait until the next issue but, I can wait. I think Die Kitty Die is worth it!

Story and Art: Fernando Ruiz and Dan Parent
Story: 8.5 Art: 7.6 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Chapterhouse Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review