Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Michael Gaydos
Published by DC Comics
This is another fine issue of this wonderful series. Brian Michael Bendis is writing hit after hit.
Pearl is a tattoo artist in San Francisco. She’s also an assassin for Mr. Miike. (As a side note, I love the reference to film director Takashi Miike there.) The story is fast paced and this issue is like a whirlwind!
The issue opens up at the Sugar Shack which is a San Francisco night club. It starts off in a Tarantino like scene with lots of set up. We learn about the person Pearl is going to kill. After a nice setup, Pearl enters into the fray.
Gaydos especially does a great job Illustrating the next sequence. As soon as Pearl takes out her gun, Gaydos turns the book into a sumptuous visual treat.
She goes up against some dangerous thugs and it’s gorgeous to look at. The colors especially make one hell of an impact here as well. Kudos to him.
Then we see a segment about Mr. Miike.
After that we flip back to five years ago to a funeral. It’s for Pearl’s mother. She sees Mr. Miike there. They have a discussion. Their discussion makes the whole ordeal even more personal than we originally though the hit was. Leave it to Bendis to add in yet another layer into his intricate story.
The ending of the book leaves the reader wanting more. It’s not a cliffhanger per se but more of a set up of things to come. Pearl has met the Endo Twins in the club and she barters a deal with them. It’s very strong and Bendis has quite a take on this crime story.
And that’s just it. Bendis and Gaydos have made a realistic crime comic that rings true. It’s excellent. The only question is, where will they take us next? I have no idea but I know it will be exhilarating.
RATING: A
