‘Lady Killer’ review
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
3/5
What would you get if you mashed up June Cleaver, The Bride from Kill Bill, and James Bond? Lady Killer by Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich.
Boasting some of the best art I have seen since Angela: Asgard’s Assassin, this series is quirky and modern in a way that pays homage to the classic aesthetic of the 1950s. Unfortunately, the pacing is so off-kilter that it becomes distracting and greatly hinders the development of the characters and narrative.
Written by Jones and Rich, Lady Killer follows perfect ’50s housewife Josie Schuller as she cooks and cleans—and kills people. Unbeknownst to her family, Josie leads a secret life as a blade-wielding assassin, capable of getting the job done all before dinnertime.
The thing I appreciated most about this series—beyond the incredible art by Jones—was the reality of the character interactions. Josie isn’t a superhero, and the fight scenes reflect that.
Despite this, I felt that there needed to be more in-between moments. The narrative jumps from scene to scene in a linear fashion but lacks any real rest periods, so the characters don’t seem to develop, and things progress far too quickly. This is just as crippling as a plot that moves too slowly, because the narrative gets largely overtaken by the continual action sequences. A balance needs to be maintained that can sustain the plot, while holding the reader’s interest.
The art is pretty much perfect, especially for the overall stylization of the book. Somewhat retro but with modern attention to detail, Jones could rival some comic book artist greats like Jim Lee and Frank Miller.
Despite pacing issues, I definitely like the series and will probably recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read.
