by Russell Johnson @director421
Pretty Deadly starts off with a bang, literally, as a young woman violently destroy’s a cute fluffy bunny as a narrative tale between the bunny and a butterfly. It’s a surreal gut punch from the opening pages. What follows is a performance piece in the middle of an old western town telling the tale of how death took a bride who pleaded for her demise and ultimately gave death a beautiful daughter bent of vengeance. It’s presented in a beautiful and edgy flow of panels and art provided by artist Emma Rios. Her art is striking as the panels blend and flow in perfect harmony and you’ll want to take the time to review each panel and all that surrounds them to get the scope of depth of her art.
I’ve really been looking forward to Pretty Deadly and I was not disappointed. DeConnick knows how to work a strong female lead character; death’s daughter Ginny looks to be one of the strongest she’s ever written. Also thrown into the mix and the travelling storytellers of Ginny’s conception is Sissy, and her blind cohort Fox. They are as mysterious as they are intriguing and their story has just begun.
The first appearance halfway of Big Alice into the book is dominant and imposing as she searches for Johnny in a saloon where she shakes the owner and patrons to their core. When she finds him she dishes out punishment that is raw as it is brutal and effective and a scene that shows true strength and fear. Fox and Sissy retreat to a woman named Sarah who we discover has a history and loyalty to Fox and has an intimate knowledge of what caused his blindness. Death’s daughter is on the way and the stage has been set with what’s sure to be a rich and deeply involved story.
DeConnick and Rios have a concept that balances the mystical and spiritual with the grit and grime of the old west which they execute with precision and grace. It’s flow and pace carries you along without effort but pulls no punches when violent action is necessary. Pretty Deadly is entertaining and a thing of beauty to behold and read. Can’t recommend this book enough!