Comic Book Wednesday: 'Pretty Deadly'

Bethany Fehlinger
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I'm not sure how to begin describing the opening scenes of the comic "Pretty Deadly" because so much happens to set up the story in the first few pages.

Where I will start is when we meet the girl in the vulture cloak, called Sissy later in the comic. She and an older man, called Foxy, begin weaving a tale for a crowd, of how a beautiful woman was married and her husband became jealous, locking her in a tower. Death came to her but fell in love, and in the end, they made a child.

The tale ends with "If you done been wronged, say her name, sing this song, sound the bell's knell that calls her from hell; Ginny rides for you on the wind, my child; death rides on the wind!"

Then, we see a red-haired man come up to Sissy and say some things to her, setting the action in the tale into motion. But then another character steps into the story: Big Alice, who seems to be after the ginger named John. After a bit of a fight (well, not really; she shot him) and Alice sees the black vulture feather, John tell her, "Shoot me again if you're gonna. Don't matter now, Alice ... See? You're too late."

Maybe it was the paper that Sissy stole off of him, leaving a magical trail behind that will lead revenge right to her doorstep. The rest of the comic has Sissy and Foxy fleeing for their lives, as Big Alice, or maybe death, following closely behind.

Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick jam-packed her first issue of "Pretty Deadly" with a lot of characters and storylines, but the story flows at a soft, slow pace. This combination of horror and western is very popular right now in the comic realm, and DeConnick jumped on that opportunity.

The art by Emma Rios is dark and descriptive, though sometimes I can't understand what is going on in a panel. I think Rios might have a hard time with action sequences, but this is only the first issue and her work might be better in the following issues.

I really think these creators have a good story to tell, and the first issue entices readers to continue onto another issue.


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