Pretty Deadly Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Ríos, and Jordie Bellaire
Attend the song of Deathface Ginny, and how she come to be
A wraith of rage for men who'd cage and harm what should be free
It all began when the Mason man took Beauty for his bride
He quick turned a fool and made her a jewel
In the crown of his glittering pride
He'd loved that gal since they were kids, a Beauty for more than her skin,
But he crushed that joy, when he made her a toy
To tease before covetous men
Overcome with the fear that he'd lose her, he built a prison of stone
She said, "I'll die from despair if you put me in there!"
...If only he'd listened, if only he'd known.
With no one else to talk to, Beauty prayed to the cold God that made her
"If I can't see the sky then let me die.
"And she begged for Death to come take her
He ought to have sent a reaper, but when he heard her sad song from above
He went himself for the girl
And the end of the world began when Death fell in love
He stayed too long in that tower, and his heart grew desperate and wild
'Til he gave what she asked and Death wept as she passed
For Beauty left Death with a child.
The sun set and the moon rose, one end and one beginning
He freed Beauty's soul
But he kept the child whole and Death named his baby girl Ginny
He raised her a reaper of vengeance, a hunter of men who have sinned
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!
So begins Pretty Deadly, and it sums up the story of several of its characters.
I LOVED the concept, I LOVED the artwork, I LOVED the colours... but the narrative didn't quite rise to everything it promised.
For one thing, it was too disjointed. It needed to be disjointed for this tale to work and to give it that dreamy feel, but it meandered too much... I can't imagine how aggravating it must have been for those reading issue by issue, I was a little lost even with the whole first volume providing answers to my questions.
But, as I said, it didn't quite work for me. It took too many detours which, admittedly, were explained by the end, but made for a very frustrating reading experience until I got to those answers.
Mind you, the artwork alone makes this worth reading, but it still left me with the sense of something unfulfilled...
Still, that may just be me, so make sure to check it out!
Kelly Sue DeConnick's tumblr
Jordie Bellaire's tumblr
Buy Pretty Deadly vol. 1
@ The Book Depository (with free worldwide delivery!)