Publisher: Titan Comics (Hard Case imprint)
Release Date: March 15, 2017
Price: $19.99
Creator(s): Walter Hill (story); Matz (adaption); Jef (art & cover)
Format: 136 pgs., Full-Color, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-7858-6145-1
Age Rating: Mature
ICv2 Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
This seems to have been written as a comic with the intent of making a movie, which is just in limited release now. Based on the film reviews, the comic may be better than the film.
The basic premise sounds more like a cheap horror movie than a noir story of crime and revenge. Any time you have to use the words "deranged plastic surgeon" it feels like you’re headed in that direction, anyway.
In this case, said deranged plastic surgeon has her way with a hitman, converting him into "her." From that point on, the story is about the now-outwardly-female hit-person coping with the change, but also seeking revenge against both the surgeon and the people who set him up for such a strange fall.
The concept of using plastic surgery to erase someone’s ability to use his/her own identity is not a new one, but this is certainly farther off the rails than most. Walter Hill’s credentials are solid as a filmmaker, but here the premise will be just a bit strange for some readers. The hyper-successful hitman is easier to believe than the continued success of the crazy plastic surgeon, who has somehow managed to be rich and successful for years, while being totally insane.
Still, there’s an exciting story here, if you totally suspend your disbelief, and the artwork by Jef is noteworthy.
For adults, due to hefty doses of nudity, sex and graphic violence.
--Nick Smith: Librarian Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.