It’s been quite a while since we last seen the likes of Pretty Deadly—way over a year now, which if nothing else is enough to pique my interest. So, with the sixth issue before us, let us ask: Is it good?
Pretty Deadly #6 (Image Comics)
The Lowdown
It is many years later and one of the characters from the first arc, Sarah, is on her death bed. Her time is coming soon and her whole family has gathered to see her off. As the end approaches, an old figure from the past approaches her to help guide her to the great beyond. However, the family may have some words to say about that.
The Yays
Did you like the previous arc’s poetic and flowery style of writing and talking? Well, Pretty Deadly #6 will give you more of that if you liked the first arc. Plus, it will allow you to catch up with two of the characters from before as well if you liked them. You get to see what and how they are doing currently, so that could be good. Frankly, if liked the first five issues’ writing and style, you should like this. Though if you didn’t, this won’t be an improvement for you.
Emma Rios is back on art duties and it’s good to see her work again. The characters are drawn very well (no one is bending or pose in a spine-breaking manner either), the layouts are well constructed and easy to follow, the scenes and movements of the characters flow naturally, the detail put into various things and locations in the book are excellent, and there’s just some lovely looking imagery here (helped greatly by the presence of Jordie Bellaire).
The Nays
So Pretty Deadly has been gone for over a year now and after all this time, you would think Kelly Sue Deconnick would get this comic going again on the right foot; get the audience excited to see the old characters, throw in some action, introduce another big story, or something of that nature. However, the return of the series… is quite underwhelming. Very little happens here and it’s not in a ‘less is more’ kind of way. The story doesn’t get under way until sometime after the halfway point and even then, it’s not much. There’s no sense of urgency to this plot and it’s a step down after the big battle with Death and fighting to protect Sissy from the last arc; it’s so quiet and laid back in contrast. It’s really lacking, especially considering the ‘Previously On’ segment at the beginning of the comic tells more story than what is going on than the actual comic itself.
Nearly the entire comic focuses on Sarah dying, which doesn’t really help. Here’s the thing about the character… she barely did a thing at all last arc and most of her epic story and history happened off-panel from what was/is implied. She was never really all that developed enough to grow attached to and never contributed much to the comic so her dying here is not as heavy or as emotionally powerful as the comic is trying to make it out to be. Though to be fair, a lot of the characters aren’t really all that developed. None of the new characters introduced make an impression and besides Fox to some degree (he seems like he has grown a bit since we last saw him), no returning character gets much to do. Sarah is mostly in bed and unconscious most of the time, and Ginny and Alice are just there for a cameo, still just characters who only ever change when the plot demands them to. It’s disappointing to say the very least.
Your mom taught you to be a very tactful child I see.
Is It Good?
Pretty Deadly #6 boasts beautiful artwork and the same level of flowery writing as before for those who like it. However, beyond that, the comic is a misfire. For such a hyped comic that I’m sure many people were waiting for, this comic left a lot to be desired in the story and character departments. There’s barely a story to speak of and there’s not much characterization to go around. If you liked the series before the break, go into this one with very low expectations or wait for the next issue before buying it. If you didn’t like the series, this issue won’t change your mind in the slightest.
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