KICK ASS. SHOOT FIRST. GET PAID. That’s right folks, Kurtis Wiebe the infamous creator of Rat Queens has finally delivered his latest comic installment in the form of Bounty from Dark Horse Comics. This has been long awaited by many diehard fans and overall, I’d say this new work doesn’t disappoint.
The Gadflies sisters, Nina and Georgie, take the stage as our protagonists and Robin Hoods of the future. They steal from the rich to give to the poor etc, etc… But their indiscretions have put a bounty (see where this is going) on their own heads and our colourful duo end up held hostage by one of the corporate stooges they so revile. The events that follow and with the aid of a rather comic book style flash forward see our sibling heroes taking up bounty hunting for themselves, following the old adage “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” oh, and steal all their money!
What else can I say about this book….the art by Mindy Lee is fun, full of colour, and playful. I didn’t actually like it at first but after a couple of pages, I came to my senses and saw how it complimented the story and helped show off our enigmatic protagonists. I particularly enjoyed what the creative team did with Viv, our Matrix-esque hacker, utilising her own arsenal and riding virtual penguins to byte-sized victory (don’t worry, I haven’t lost it, that really happens about half-way through the book, check it out!)
As for dialogue, again, a few pages in I was ready to dismiss it but it works, it really does. These characters are wacky, funny, crazy, you name it! It rather reminds me of Quantum & Woody from Valiant: it has that same crazy energy that just forces a smile on your face.
Of course, it’s not all plain sailing. I found myself getting quite lost between panels at several points in this book, particularly during the action scenes. This forced me to keep scanning back over the preceding pages, which detached me from the narrative at times. But once you get a handle on these frenetic segments, you’re pulled right back into the action and given a little courtesy chuckle for your trouble. I confess I didn’t always have a handle on what was going on but I’m not sure I cared. You don’t have a clue which way’s up when you’re rocketing around on a roller coaster but that doesn’t mean you enjoy it any less does it?
Having missed out on the bulk of Rat Queens, I for one am grateful for this new work from Wiebe. I think I owe it to myself to see this one through to the end and I think you all do too. Give Bounty a look and collect your reward.
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