Lady Killer Issue #3

Story by: Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich
Art by: Joëlle Jones
Colours by: Laura Allred

In issue #3, it seems as though Josie’s biggest foe just might be her mother-in-law, the always-terrifying Mother Shuller. She’s the one onto Josie’s other life – if she can really make out what is really happening. At a party at the Shuller home, the two come head to head, and it feels like a lot of what is going on in Josie’s life is about to come undone.

One thing that Jones really excels at (and she certainly excels at a lot), is making Josie stand out. She’s the sole focus of several busy scenes in both issue 2 and 3. No matter how interesting and beautifully detailed the rest of the panel is, all that matters is Josie. The story is as compelling as always, but the art is so spectacular and interesting it’s often the art that one goes back to study instead of the story. The opening party scene is still filled with that excellent dark humor that flits in and out of every issue (“I didn’t say you looked bad, Susan. All I said was that yellow is a difficult color to pull off.”).

 

Outside of the party, Josie is being closely watched by her boss Mr Stenholm and fellow hitman Peck. The two men are discussing the future of the operative. And by the sounds of it, it isn’t a future where she grow old or watches her children graduate. It’s an interesting discussion to read as it is a sound reminder of how little women had a say in their lives in the early 60s. Josie, as strong of a heroine as she is, is also a pawn for the people she works for. She is a liability instead of a human. It’s still a man’s world and she’s just killing in it.

Things really aren’t going well for Josie. This issue’s attack scene is heart-breaking in many ways (without giving too much away). Her life may be unraveling, but as the story ends there’s one hell of a literal cliff hanger. This is definitely the most exciting and well-developed of the series so far. The writers really got into the psyche of Josie, creating a real page-turner.

The Lady Killer series has been overwhelmingly popular. Both issues one and two have already had second (and already sold out) printings. Jones and Rich have really nailed something on the head with their special protagonist. The two have already said the story was thought out well in advance, but hopefully that leaves the promise of future issues. This is a story that is meant to be picked up and read, and certainly not forgotten about.