Sought after by elements from her violent past, fugitive and assassin Rain Oshiro has just 24 hours to escape a barricaded city while trying to evade a military force determined to either capture or kill her.

The first issue of RunLoveKill, written by Jonathan Tsuei and Eric Canete with art by Canete is interesting. I really wanted to like it, but there’s also something that was holding me back from gushing over it.

The story is very simple, a mysterious woman is attempting to escape a totalitarian city-state in a world that we don’t know a whole lot about. The concept is entertaining enough and the characters are likeable. The mystery held my interest, and I wanted to learn more. That’s all good and primarily what the comic has going for it.

The art I think is what has me on the fence as to whether this is a “read” or a “buy,” and it’s very much on the fence. The art at times is visually striking and beautiful to look at. It reminded me a lot of some anime, and the world is really cool and interesting. The issue I had is some of the visuals are a bit muddy, and it’s hard to make out what’s going on and what things are. They look potentially cool, but I couldn’t quite make everything out. That’s the bad really, and what held me back from being completely pumped about the series.

The first issue is absolutely interesting, and has a lot of potential. Hopefully some of the visuals are a bit clearer in future issues, which will help put the series over the top for me.

Story: Jonathan Tsuei, Eric Canete Art: Eric Canete
Story: 7.25 Art: 7 Overall: 7.25 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review