Collective Consciousness: Lady Killer #1
Synopsis: "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."
Vannary Sok
The cover alone was enough to grab my attention. Blood soaked and contrasting against a stereotypical housewife gorgeously drawn by artist and writer Joelle Jones you can tell that right away the promise of blood shed's high and the first issue delivers, atleast for the first half. It started off with such intense brutality and increasingly high energy but after a smooth heart-beating first half that Tarantino himself could have conceived, the issue starts to slow down to reveal the domestic and motherly side of a trained and violent killer. The artwork is the real winner though, picking up and pushing forward the story's ambiance. Black ink is effectively used to splash blood, even if it's just a few speckles at first to emphasize the dark and merciless actions occurring. Amazing artwork aside, it's pretty much conventional exposition for a first issue but my curiosity and want to see more of domestic goddess Josie kicking up her heels is enough to place this five issue series into my pull list.
Andrew King
Stent know what to expect going in, but even from page one the art is tantalizing as it is in your face. Dark Horse ventures out with this issue not only in reversing (perceived) gender roles, but doing so in a period/setting which just makes the plot more eery and perverse because of it. It's clear that the creative team is planning for a pulp vibe, and that's fine by me. While this issue does little more than to set a premise and establish characters, it's one that still stands out enough with promises of violence, non-conventional characters, and pulp to standout, if even by a margin.
Amit Javed
"The perfect solution to those problem stains". Right at the beginning we get a glimpse of what the story is going to be about; a ruthless assassin who also turns out to be a wife and mother of two. It's still the first issue, but I totally bought what the writer did with the character. The first half shows how brutal she can be, quite graphically, while on the second half we see her as an ideal wife, having a fun time with her family and whatnot. The story as it seemed to me, has quite the potential to be a good one if it maintains such quality. I really liked the art from Joëlle Jones. The art perfectly depicted the gruesome vibe and at the same time the light comedy. The first 8 pages of the issue shows that the series is not going to fall short of humor. Overall, what I'd like to say is, sometimes stories get pretty traditional and predictable, but this here is most definitely a different one. Highly promising first issue!
Louie Whiteford
Lady Killer is one bright, cheery, manic murder story. The star of the book is a homemaker/secret assassin, taking out hits in a pastel Americana nightmare. The art has a very animated quality to it that calls to mind Tom and Jerry, or really Itchy and Scratchy. The characters in this comic smile a lot, big phony smiles that hide their dirty secrets and murderous intent. Writer/Artist Joelle Jones hits the notes perfectly with writing and art. There’s a sense of rage just beneath the surface, but it’s so far contained by everybody’s daily facades. It’s fast and funny and never uncomfortable. Assassination has never been so fun!
My only complaint is the black blood. I get why they do it in superhero comics (the kids!) but this is Dark Horse. They have no innocent moppets to protect. C’mon, give us the full red! It’d look great next to all the other vivid colors.
Robert James Cross
Take Mad Men and mix in a Femme Fatale, that's this comic. Let me tell you, it's a good one, better than I thought from the cover. There's that post World War II, Cold War-esque, late 50s grittiness that took America by storm seeping in every panel of this bad boy (or bad girl). The dialogue is believable to the point of being almost scary accurate, I could see my grandmother saying some of these lines. And the art, sweet buttery Christ, it's a godsend. Like a mixture of Venture Brothers and an old Sear's catalog. Beauty in ink. Definitely fell in love with this one pretty quick.
Tori Bee
A dash of Mad Men for flair, a dash of Desperate Housewives for family life drama and mystery, and a dash Dexter for bloody murder and you get Lady Killer. While it rings familiar to certain elements of popular tv shows, Lady Killer has a unique vibe to go with it as well. The premise of a housewife trying to balance hit assignments with her family life is intriguing, and throw in a disapproving/suspicious mother-in-law as well as a sexy boss and you've got a really contemporary story to appeal to the masses especially to the masses that are looking for bonafide kickass ladies who don't seem to take shit from anyone (and still retain their ladylike decorum while doing so). The story is good, there's no doubt about that Joelle Jones and Jamie S Rich are definitely onto something, same goes for the art which Joelle Jones nails near perfectly in capturing the essence of the time period without being too pinup-y considering the story being told. The violence is a little more graphic than I was genuinely expecting, which for a shock factor, isn't my favourite. I knew it was going to be violent, but I was thinking it'd be more via shadow silhouettes or something a little more demure I suppose so it doesn't contrast so much against the era of the genre. But overall it has all the potential to be a great hit (pun potentially intentional, hah!).
FD White
An interesting premise for sure, Lady Killer is a great mix of great violence and the all too sweet lifestyles of a generic 1960s family. Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich provide a decent layout for the comic, and while it's definitely not entirely fulfilling, it does its job. The story moves at a rapid fire pace, trying to cover ground as quickly as possible. This is both a good thing and a hindrance. The break neck speed forces the reader acclimate, but the speed also causes the reader to not care as much. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I'm not completely sold just yet.
A Look Inside
