Posted in: Comics, Review, Titan | Tagged: gun honey, Hard Case Crime, titan

Gun Honey: Blood For Blood #1 Review: Genre Publisher, Genre Work

Published Mon, 05 Sep 2022 09:32:10 -0500

It's foolish to deny Gun Honey: Blood For Blood #1's charms: A beautiful woman plus firearms. In the first issue of the Gun Honey series' second arc, an unknown female assassin incriminates Joanna (a gun supplier) for murder, and Joanna must clear her name.

Gun Honey: Blood For Blood #1 Review: — Gun Honey: Blood For Blood #1 cover by Adam Hughes

The very first-word balloon lands like an anvil: "That's some gun, honey." In isolation, a reader can see why writer Charles Ardai liked it. The character speaking the line would use the word honey, and Gun Honey is the title of the comic. On the page, it reads Ardai straining to be clever. The final panel of the issue also strained my patience, as it's a hand over a chessboard knocking down a piece while an unknown narrator announces they're going to toy with Joanna before killing her.

Artist Ang Hor Kheng uses a lot of dynamic double-page spreads of movement that consistently raised the tension. True to genre (and Hard Case Crime is proudly a genre publisher), the reader is never too far from more action.

Gun Honey: Blood For Blood #1 frustrates me because it's not consistent. If it was only a cheesecakey James Bond ripoff, it'd be easy to ignore. As it stands or, perhaps, relaxes, it's a brisk, action-packed read. As long as that's all you expect from Gun Honey: Blood For Blood #1, it'll reward you. Titan Comics' page for the issue is here.

2021's best-selling non-premier print comic is back for a blockbuster new series!
From award-winning Charles Ardai (co-founder of Hard Case Crime) and artist Ang Hor Kheng!
With weapons expert Joanna Tan, the legendary "Gun Honey," off the grid, recuperating from her last job, a vengeful rival takes her place – and frames Joanna for murder. On the run from Malaysia to Milan, from Montana to Monaco, can Joanna catch up to her ruthless enemy… or will she catch a bullet first?

Gun Honey: Blood For Blood #1