Ed Brisson knows how to kick a party off right and, jumps right into the action is the latest issue of Bullseye. The showdown at La Hacienda Motel in Columbia starts in Bullseye’s hotel room and Guillermo Sanna‘s stellar throwback art style gives us three pages of everything from punches to fingers being bitten off before we even get to the credit page. Miroslav Mrva makes sure to add enough color in the otherwise dark and depressing panels to show us the blood and the bruises and before the first full page of dialogue we are hooked enough to settle in for a rambunctious battle royal in Bullseye’s lonely motel room.

Sanna and Mrva work well together giving off a serious yin/yang vibe in each panel. The panels flow together like storyboard of a really good 80’s action flick complete with cliche’s, loads of testosterone, and even though you’re reading it, you can totally smell the sweat and blood. The colors don’t pop which is a perfect complement to the story that Brisson is telling. There’s no sense of mercy in the panels, or story and the darkness contained within the pages of this issue draw you in and keep you there for one hell of a ride.

Brisson tells a nice story that shows off all of the main player’s points of view, motives and a slight sense of vulnerability.  The characters are complex and believable, in fact, they are all so well written that there’s a moment where you forget that you’re not supposed to be rooting for the bad guy. There are no useless lines or words in any of the pages and Brisson tells a pretty good story that will have you invested in the characters and waiting for the next installment of this incredibly well-written tale.

Agent Joy and her posse of rogue former agents are still in pursuit and, Bullseye comes face to face with everything that’s waiting for him at the Zarco compound. There’s so much action packed into this issue that you’d be a fool not to read it with popcorn. It’s an intense romp through a dark underworld, with well-written characters, a villain masquerading as “hero” and, a kick-ass, take no prisoners agent out for revenge. There is no moral to the story, no political commentary just good old-fashioned senseless beautiful violence and there’s nothing wrong with that. Escapism isn’t  a bad thing in the current political climate and Bullseye #3 is nothing if not a sweet, albeit bloody, escape from the real world.

Story: Ed Brisson Art: Guillermo Sanna and Miroslav Mrva
Story:8.9 Art: 8.7 Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Bullseye #2 is only a continuation of the Columbian Connection arc introduced in the first issue. Focusing on one story line isn’t a bad thing, the other arc is still in the back of our minds but, this issue has so much going on there isn’t a need for another storyline and we know the two arcs are intertwined. Ed Brisson tells a compelling story as we follow Bullseye on his hunt for the Black Knife Cartel to rescue his employer’s kidnapped son. Besides the killer’s on a quest to stop him, he’s also being hunted by our favorite female Fed who enlists dome rogue blacklisted CIA agents to take him down.

Brisson has Bullseye doing what he does best, being an unapologetic sadistic psycho and, then ups the ante by having his nemesis be an equally remorseless drug lord.  Zacaro, Bullseye’s target, unleashes his minions to hunt him down before he can rescue the boy. Brisson tells a story that is equal parts noir and Scarface, he keeps the characters unique in their actions and motivations. Guillermo Sanna gives us some great detail and strong lines in his near perfect old school Marvel renderings that bring back fond memories of the comics of my youth. The darkness in his drawings immediately let you know that this isn’t for kids, it’s a dark, grown-up tale. Sanna’s lines are given life and an ominous dark palette, befitting the carnage in this story by Miroslav Mrva. Their artistic talents combined transport the reader inside the story, it feels more like you’re watching a film than reading a comic book.

This issue is a wonderfully created collaboration between some very talented individuals that give the reader something to sink their teeth in to. No panel is wasted, no human character defect left unexplored, no bloodshed left covered up. Bullseye is a deep dark look into the soul of a killer, especially when the arc trajectory has him facing off against a man whose soul might just be as dark as his own. The only thing wrong with this issue is that Marvel is back to its once a month production schedule for this character and I loathe having to wait so long to see how this shakes out.

Story: Ed Brisson Art: Guillermo Sanna Color: Miroslav Mrva
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.8 Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review