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Pretty Deadly Volume 1 Book Review

Title: Pretty Deadly Volume 1
Author: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Illustrated by: Emma Rios
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: May 13, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1607069621

120 pp.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley

Pretty Deadly Volume 1 collects the first five issues of the Pretty Deadly comic, which is an Eisner Award nominee. Kudos to Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios for creating such a complex series with intriguing, badass female characters.

The framing device is a butterfly telling a story to a skeleton bunny (and we see the bunny getting killed very graphically) about a little girl named Sissy, who has two different colored eyes and wears a vulture costume. She and her guardian, a man named Fox, are being hunted by Death's handmaiden, Alice. So they end up joining forces with Death's daughter, Ginny, to try to conquer Death himself.

To be honest, I found the beginning very confusing. But the mythology of this world is slowly teased out throughout the issues and came to a satisfying conclusion. Of course, with enough open for more issues.

Normally, I prefer artwork with very clean lines, but there's a rough-hewn brutality in the artwork that works for this mash-up world of western lore and mythos. Also, I noticed how the layouts are framed to be scrolled, which was nice since I did read it on a device.

And the fact that this a series created by women with strong female characters can't be emphasized enough. More, please.

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