Written by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Steve Epting & Elizabeth Breitweiser
Publisher: Image
This issue took a step back from the shocking conclusion of the last issue and revolved around those hunting Velvet, and Brubaker does an amazing job at switching the voice of the series (twice) without the tone being affected. It was so well done that it did not feel out of place once and shows that it doesn’t matter if the lead in a series is male or female, if an issue is written well it can appeal to anyone.
Spy stories are really strong in comics at the moment with a couple of great ones at Marvel, and another one at Image, but this one tops the lot. It’s pure espionage at its best and is written in a way that the twists and turns are especially surprising and clever. This issue sort of showed how clever it is where one of Velvet’s pursuers verbally outlined all she has to do to evade them. And the issue did a good job at playing this out for it to conclude in the same place as where the previous issue finished setting up a really intriguing next issue.
Epting did another flawless job and in my opinion this is one of the best looking books on the shelves. The eye catching details and the overall effectiveness of the scenery creates such a dramatic and powerful effect. This is only strengthened by the wonderful colours of Elizabeth Breitweiser which truly creates the atmosphere of the issue changing dramatically from scene to scene and showcasing the tone of the writing perfectly.
This series continues to get stronger and stronger, and even an issue without our protagonist is just as good as everything that has come before it. Despite not progressing the storyline it did do a great job of teaching us how to catch a spy and tease the big showdown for the next issue.
Do we really have to wait another month?!?!
