When does your morality keep you from doing something? That is the question that idealists have asked as long as the world could dream of eloquent ideas. This what separates idealists from pragmatists. One only wishes it could be such a ways while the other knows how the world actually works. That make sthe vitriol troops got when they came home from the Vietnam War so abhorrent.

Many of those men and women who only followed orders found rebuke and death threats when they came home. The choice of not following orders is only the thing of movies and television and not how it works in the real world. A moral compass has no place in the battlefield. In Noir Ceasar’s Try Again #2, Danielle does find her moral compass but maybe to her own peril.

We find Danielle as she grapples with whom she is doing the hit for, and how she only hopes to walk away alive. When she realizes who the target is and the reasons behind it, she understands immediately why she needs to finish the assignment. Of course, nothing is easy, but being a revenant, comes with its advantages, as she swiftly executes him. By the issue’s end, Danielle uneasily completes the ritual that every revenant must do to ensure payment, a task that is more difficult than it sounds.

Overall, it’s a great chapter which is a bit different than every other entry in the genre. The story by Will Brown, Marcus Johnson, and John Lawrence is exciting. The art by Win Dolores is stunning. Altogether a story that adds some horror to the crime noir genre.

Story: Will Brown, Marcus Johnson, and John Lawrence Art: Win Dolores
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

When it comes to hired guns, one of the most explored archetypes just so happens to be assassins. The genre has taken on an even mythical status, with the Assassins Creed franchise. You can see the archetypes’ influence in everything from ninja movies, Westerns, to even Ray Donovan. Most of these stories go, you have a lone operator whose personal life is in shambles while their professional life is what gives them satisfaction.

My favorite “lone gunmen” were the ones who didn’t say much of anything, like Boba Fett or Duke Togo. In their worlds, both protagonists’ most redeeming quality is their steadfast obedience to the job and their lack of need for distractions. In other stories, they would be boring, but in these stories, they are intriguing. In Noir Ceasar’s take on the genre, Try Again, we meet another character whose world is more complicated than they would like to admit, as we find out in the debut issue.

We meet Danielle Burroughs, an assassin, who has just been given a job, which she has some doubts about.  As she catches up with her spotter, Damien, she espouses her guilt over killing a family man, but also one of the city’s biggest crime bosses. Just when she takes out her target, there seems to be an unintended casualty from the job. By the issue’s end, Danielle finds out her guilt is not easily escaped, as a far worst fate is waiting.

Overall, a strong debut that’s a fine entry to the hitman genre. The story by the creative team is pulse-pounding. The art by Win Dolores is beautiful. Altogether a story that will grab you and won’t let you go.

Story: Will Brown, Marcus Johnson, and John Lawrence
Art: Win Dolores
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy