Writer: Glen Brunswick
Artist: Frank Espinosa
Publisher: Image Comics
The concept of Killing Girl is straight forward and filled with potential. A young girl escapes a life of prostitution by offering her owners something more valuable: a killing girl. Despite this potential, and the fact that this reviewer really wanted to like the book, it falls flat on almost all counts.
By far the most hobbling thing about the book is the main character herself. Named Viper (original, no?), she is a hard, pitiless woman. This is something you would certainly expect from a girl who was kidnapped at an early age, forced into prostitution, then found value in her ability to kill. However, right out of the gate the character is not terribly likable and, more importantly, the writing doesn’t give anything for the reader on which to relate. The story opts to present most of the character information for Viper via a noir style inner monologue. Unfortunately, despite having an origin that could logically lead to the place she is now, Viper comes across as just another vicious killer in a city filled with them. She might be more interesting as a target for the Punisher.
The monologue also tends to be tangential and nonsensical. At one point, after killing a man, she begins to reflect on her past and a good friend. Fresh corpses, to my experience, rarely elicit nostalgia for old friends. She then begins to discuss “family history” relating the commonly known fact that the Russian mafia (whom she weirdly refers to as Cosa Nostra) is endemic in the new Russia. This is stated as if you, the reader, wouldn't possibly know, then followed up by a statement about that, “New Russian democracy everyone is raving about.” When was the last time you heard anyone rave about how great Russian democracy is? While the type of superior attitude demonstrated by Viper might fit for a character delivering secrets, to have it possessed by a character who obviously knows little more than the reader is just annoying. If you watch The Daily Show or read your local paper, you probably have a good a handle on the scene as Viper.
The problems continue to the rest of the book, including plot, action, and art. Now, that it isn’t to say that the art isn’t good – because it is. It’s different, for certain, but that’s a good thing in a market when art styles sometimes begin to look the same. However, the art doesn’t suit the dark mood of the book, and character designs seem more fitting for Saturday morning cartoons than for a book that is reaching for a noir tone. Several of the characters seem more fitting for a Dick Tracy strip.
While Killing Girl may have potential, this first issue doesn’t put the series off to a good start. If you haven’t already, I wouldn’t pick it up.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at http://madbastard.hypersites.com
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