Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are one hell of a team. They have worked on a ton of books together and they just keep going.  Thank god that they do, because we are getting another classic in the making here. The kings of crime pulp are at it once again in Kill or Be Killed #3.  This story deals with the protagonist, Dylan being forced to take justice into his own hands.  Our main character has been through a lot in just the first two issues alone, and this issue slows things down a bit.  That’s a good thing. If you do not know the premise of Kill or be Killed, you should start at the first issue, because it is fantastic.  The story follows a young man who is forced to kill bad people, and how he tries to keep it all a secret from everyone around him.

Speaking of love, this issue deals with the uncomfortable tension between Dylan and Kira.  While her boyfriend and Dylan’s roommate, Mason is still out of town, she wants to talk about her and Dylan’s relationship.  Much like the need to murder people, Dylan is trying to fight his impulses with Kira as well.  This doesn’t mean just kissing her, or letting her play with his heart, but confiding in her about who he really is.

This issue has a couple of moments straight out of a Poe story, where we see Dylan’s paranoia coming out as he tries to accept what he did.  He spends his days searching for articles on his last victim and seeing if anyone has pinned him to the murder.  There is a big moment here that I won’t spoil that causes something in Dylan to change, and we see a new side of him we have not seen yet.  Now a more confident man at the end of this issue than when we first saw him, Dylan starts giving into those impulses he tried to fight.  He begins to rationalize his dark thoughts, both with Kira and with murdering people.  What will happen now that he begins to see people only as labels, and not more?  Child molesters.  Rapists.  Bigots.  You get the idea.

We also get a peak at Kira’s past, which tells us a lot about her character and why she is the way she is.  Her manipulative ways now make more sense as she walks us through some dark moments from her childhood and her therapy sessions.  Could she be manipulating Dylan even here?  Absolutely.  She is a very interesting character, and a big part of what this book, and Dylan are about.

I think this series begs to ask the question, is this what a real life vigilante would look like?  Most people love seeing The Punisher take down a gang of bad guys.  Is Dylan so different? He doesn’t look as cool, or have the skull shirt, but does that matter?  Is it okay to justify killing someone simply because they are bad?  How would you be so certain that they are?  I cannot wait to find out what Dylan discovers as he goes through these questions in his own head, and we get a front row seat.

Story: Ed Brubaker Art: Sean Phillips Color: Elizabeth Breitweiser
Story: 9.5 Art: 9 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Image provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review