When the world’s best secret agent is killed, Velvet Templeton, the Personal Assistant to the Director of the Agency, is drawn off her desk and back into the field for the first time in nearly 20 years… and is immediately caught in a web of mystery, murder and high-octane action. That’s the premise of writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting‘s new series from Image Comics.

You might know the creative duo as the two who reinvigorated Marvel’s Captain America with a storyline that shouldn’t of worked, Captain America: Winter Soldier. That storyline was a slow burn spy thriller and this first issue seems the mimic that vibe.

Set in the 1970s, the first issue evokes the vibe and feel of classic political thriller movies from the time period like Three Days of the Condor, The Day of the Jackal, Parallax View and more. Many of these films are heralded today, so to be similar isn’t a bad thing at all. Paranoia and questions abound in this first issue, just as I’d expect and just as I’d hope.

Brubaker kicks off the conspiracy right away with a murder and then introduces us to our heroine Velvet. In how he does that, he challenges our perception of women in this genre and by the end, we’ve learned there’s WAY more to Velvet than what we were initially lead to expect. It’s great to see a kick-ass female lead, and Brubaker has proven in many of his previous series he’s a master at creating a well-rounded, 3-dimensional female lead.

The two creators are a match made in heaven with Epting’s art complementing Brubaker’s writing. The style feels like a 70s spy thriller and we’ve seen from their long Captain America run that the two are in sync when it comes to the story and visuals.

Sexy and provocative, with a dark twist on the spy genre, this EXTRA-LENGTH first issue by two of the industry’s best-selling creators will knock you out! I expect this one to be a sell-out and Image’s next big hit.

Story: Ed Brubaker Art: Steve Epting
Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review