Pretty Deadly: The Rat #1 is published by Image Comics. It is written and co-created by Kelly Sue DeConnick with art and co-creation by Emma Ríos. Pretty Deadly: The Rat is the third volume of the Pretty Deadly series.
Kelly Sue DeConnick is an amazing writer and Emma Ríos is an amazing artist, I know this makes them both in high demand but damnit, I need my Pretty Deadly fix sooner than 3 years. As usual, it was well worth the wait, but still, I’d also like to not wait. It’s just such a good, quality series. If you haven’t read the first two volumes, you really need to. Especially if you like westerns and/or dark fantasy.
WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ PRETTY DEADLY: THE SHRIKE AND/OR PRETTY DEADLY: THE BEAR
I do my best to avoid spoilers, but I really can’t when there’s two volumes worth of events that directly play in to this first issue. Sorry. You’ll just have to read it all. But don’t worry, this review will still be here when you finish. Hopefully.
Bones Bunny and Butterfly are back to spin us a new tale about death. The child of blood and violence, Sissy, and Death’s own daughter, Ginny defeated Death – leaving Sissy to assume the mantle herself in order to bring the World Garden back to life. Meanwhile, Ginny, vanished back into the wind. However, Ginny’s work is far from over. Young Clara has mysterious died but her uncle, Frank, the Conjure-man isn’t going to just accept it. He knows there’s more. And so he must turn to Ginny for help.
As usual, Bones Bunny and Butterfly begin our story in that familiar, melancholy verse, with death being the catalyst. After all, how can you begin a new story about Death’s daughter if there’s no death? Within this story, Frank discovers a story Clara was creating – a story with no end, it just stops. And as you read the story with him and given her connection to the Reapers and her mysterious passing, you have to wonder if it’s really just a story.
As if no time has passed at all, DeConnick and Ríos don’t miss a step in diving back into the dark, morbid world of Pretty Deadly. The writing and characters are familiar, but this is a new arc of Ginny’s tale. The art is stunning while also holding an eerie feeling. It’s as if everything is covered in shadow. Even the vibrant colors have a darkness too them, like they’re coated in a layer of dust. I love this dark western aesthetic so much and I’m so glad it’s back.
OVERALL SCORE: 9.5 / 10
Make sure you pick up a copy of Pretty Deadly: The Rat #1 from your local comic shop or Comixology!
Happy reading!
