This week sees the final issue of this sexy noir, come Pulp Fiction second volume of Gun Honey. Now by this point, you have either been reading this series or you are going to have to trawl the back issues or wait for the trade; this issue is not the place for new readers to try and join the party.
Things are looking dire for Joanna; following Filippa she is now part of an extravagant Showgirl type of affair with splashes of James Bond splendour. Her partner in “not a crime” has been captured by his bosses who are looking to clear house. Just what is a sexy half naked, gun hiding woman. supposed to do?
Charles Ardai completes the second volume of Gun Honey with his usual flair of action and sexiness, though this issue, the latter is certainly more pronounced. There is a lovely action scenes that carries no dialogue. This is a trick I have seen more than once; at time it works and at others it awful. Here, it is definitely the former, all that is required is a bass thumping piece of music. Ardai doesn’t forgo dialogue for long. No sooner ca you say “tied to a chair” there is some exposition to deal with, some of which drops hints for the next run. The writing this issue is not without a couple of flies in the sun tanning lotion. Firstly, I am not sure how Joanna managed to get the needle in the bag, it was pretty convenient that the foot chase went in that room. Throw in the lack of explanation of where the look pick came from and the coincidences start to detract from the story.
The art from Ang Kor Kheng is as fans of the book will expect. Curvy women, well paced action scenes and terse moments between the various captors and their respective prisoners. With the first act of the book being framed with dancing girls, you may be disappointed by the lack of background details on show. Kheng more than makes up for it through the actions scenes and a more than suggestive climax to the big fight. Body lines are smooth, with Kheng’s nuanced facial elements allowing Joanna her traditional smirk down the line. The colors from Asifur Rahman are also as excellent as expected across all aspects of the book, given that Rahman chooses to exaggerate the seedy and sordid over the glitz and glamour. Letterer David Leach does a great job with the dialogue heavy elements found towards the end of the issue. Finally, there are a number of covers to choose from, its buyers choice of course, thy all have their plus points, some even have two!
As frustrating as the odd quibbles in this issue are, on the whole, this mini series has been a fun read from the get go, with its mix of action, sexiness, curves and bullets. I am looking forward to next run, for sure.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
Overall – 4 Stars
Written by; Charles Ardai
Art by; Ang Kor Kheng
Colors by; Asifur Rahman
Letters by; David Leach
Published by; Hard Case Crime / Titan Comics