Review: Lady Killer #1
LADY KILLER #1
Writer: Joëlle Jones, Jamie S. Rich
Artist: Joëlle Jones
Colorist: Laura Allred
Cover Artist: Joëlle Jones
Publication Date: January 7, 2015
32 pg, FC, $3.50 US
SOLICITATION:
Betty Draper meets Hannibal!
Josie Schuller is a picture-perfect homemaker, wife, and mother—but she’s also a ruthless, efficient killer for hire! A brand-new original comedy series that combines the wholesome imagery of early 1960s domestic bliss with a tightening web of murder, paranoia, and cold-blooded survival.
* New original series by Joëlle Jones!
* Dark comedy, gritty action, and killer laughs!
REVIEW:
It wasn’t until I started this job that I realized what good comics Dark Horse was producing. For so long, their catalog has been dominated by Star Wars that stuff like this got overlooked. Do yourself a favor and do not overlook this book. The comparison to Mad Men does not do it justice. The two are both set in the same general time period, but that’s where the similarity ends. Josie Anderson is a housewife that has a secret profession as a killer, for whom we do not know just yet. Her husband is apparently a second generation American. Her mother-in-law, living with them is German, suspicious of where she goes during the day. She is also a vicious killer when the need arises.
The artwork by Joëlle Jones is amazing and very reminiscent of the Pander Bros., only a lot more restrained, although the use of forced perspective is very nice and makes the mundane aspects of the opening scene very surreal, cluing us in to the fact that this is not your typical Avon house call. The scenes sit in the Anderson home are rich with detail, helping ground us, the readers, in the setting, almost essential in a period piece like this.
That brings me to the placement of this in the 1950s/1960s time period. It allows for some rich decoration, but so far, there’s no reason for it. That being said, I don’t think the story would be nearly as effective set in a later time period, and if successful, I would like to see the character develop into the later 1960s and even the 1970s. Josie’s separation of her life between work and home is a great aspect to her character and again, set in a more recent time period, would not be as believable or revealing of her character.
If you like good comics, especially crime-related, then definitely pick this book up this week. There is obviously some violence, and a little language that makes it not appropriate for younger readers, but it’s definitely worth the cover price, and I’d recommend asking your local comic shop to add the next four issues to your subscription folder. If you want to see more, check out the Preview we got from Dark Horse a month ago.