Wednesday, 3 December 2014

So Jenn Read Pretty Deadly: The Shrike

A review of Pretty Deadly Volume 1
by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles; Image Comics


Pretty Deadly is a gorgeous Old West-styled story. A bunny of bones tells the story to a butterfly, a tale of love, loss, and vengeance steeped in deep mythology.  Our story follows a young girl and older man traveling from town-to-town telling the story of Deathface Ginny, the reaper daughter of Death and Beauty. Though a spell kept Ginny from being able to visit the world of the living, the spell has been broken, and the race is on for all of our characters to take their vengeance, complete the penance, or step into a new place in the cycle of life and death. Every element of Pretty Deadly oozes beauty. DeConnick’s words read like poetry—in fact, I found I enjoyed the book even more when I read it as if it were a poem. Rios’ style lends elegance to every scene, even bloody and violent. The color palate Bellaire uses also deserves to be recognized as a major contributor.  Art and words blend seamlessly, making each indispensible in the telling. I do think Pretty Deadly benefits from its collection into a trade; there are a lot of moving parts to keep track of in this story. While following Pretty Deadly in issues, I caught myself going back to ensure I had plot points straight; for me, this meant experiencing the story all at once greatly improved my enjoyment. I’m eager to read Ginny’s next tale.


Word Count: 237

Post by Jennifer DePrey


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