Posted in: Comics, Image | Tagged: celebrity, drama, HRL, image comics, Jacob Semahn, Jorge Corona, no. 1 with a bullet, social media

No. 1 With a Bullet #2 Review: Rough and Relevant

Nash Huang, a social media expert, personal assistant to celebrity Jad Davies, and variety show creator, has just had a sex tape released to the public. Her life is ruined. Her boss's lawyers are after her. Her girlfriend is livid. The paparazzi and general media are all over her. Social media is tearing her to shreds, too. Things seem like they can't get any worse, but they can.

No. 1 With a Bullet offers a solid allegory on the current state and potential future of social media and celebrity culture. The way Nash's life is torn apart feels both relevant and real. I also dig the joking reference to "Fact Wars" and Alex Jones. The TMZ parody is pretty great, too.

Importantly, Nash is also both likable and relatable. She's impulsive, yet driven. She's well meaning enough, but she also has her limits. You can feel for her, as what falls upon her is far beyond anyone's control — something we see happen to people pretty often in modern life — and it's not her fault.

It also feels frighteningly relevant now that all of these alleged sexual harassment and assault situations are coming to light in droves in Hollywood.

Her story rings true in our modern culture. I'm not generally one to encourage the "modern times are trash" narrative, but, well, if the shoe fits and all that.

The only thing going against No. 1 With a Bullet #2 is that too much may be happening in this one issue. It throws a lot to process at you, and it leaves you reeling in trying to understand everything by the end. In fairness, that was likely the intent, but it still throws you a bit off balance how much changes for protagonist Nash in the second issue alone.

The art is highly stylized and a bit cartoonish. However, it is effective in capturing the self-parody of celebrity culture while still being fairly visually appealing in its aesthetic. It's pretty gritty-feeling, too. Jorge Corona manages a delicate balance with his artwork here. Color artist Jen Hickman provides a solid yet darker palette choice, which helps drive home the atmosphere of the narrative.

No. 1 With a Bullet #2 is a dramatic and heavy issue showing how much one video Nash didn't know about viciously tears apart her life. Nash herself is a compelling protagonist capable of holding up the story, and the art is solid, too. This one earns a recommendation, and you should check it out.

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