Lady Killer Volume 1
Sometimes you get points for keeping it simple. There’s nothing complicated about Lady Killer. It’s the story of Josie Schuller, a suburban Seattle housewife in the early 1960s who is both a perfect wife, mom, and homemaker as well as a contract killer. Creator Joëlle Jones (who does the art and co-wrote with Jamie S. Rich) says she was inspired by advertising illustrations from the 1940s and ‘50s, so once again we’re ripping off the glossy, happy vision of the surface of American life in mid-century to show the violence and rot underneath. Josie can turn a kitchen into an abattoir and clean it up so it’s spotless afterward, standing as though she’s posing for one of the satire ads that appear at the start of each issue, pitching cars with enough trunk space for a dead body or stiletto heels that can be weaponized.
And that’s it. That’s the hook. Josie’s husband and kids don’t know anything about her double life, though her crabby mother-in-law has her suspicions. After spending some time in the business and achieving what must be a pretty impressive body count Josie might be turning domestic though, wanting out of Murder Inc. Her boss decides to terminate her employment. Will Josie be able to survive and still get dinner on the table?
Even if there’s not a whole lot here, I thought it was put forward brilliantly. Jones has the style down pat – and by that I don’t just mean the ad look but also Josie’s turn as fetish pin-up model – and it was also refreshing to read a story that didn’t feel it was necessary to throw a whole lot of crazy twists or tedious backstory into the mix. There are points that remain mysterious, but they were things I didn’t care much about anyway, like who was behind the Organization. Peck is only a killer Ken to set alongside Josie as psycho Barbie. So I just sat back and enjoyed the whole thing immensely, and it left me looking forward to Volume 2. I also hear there’s a movie in the works, but I’ll approach that with suspicion.
Alex Good 
This reminds me of that Killer Dress movie, In Design, images that looks like the magazines that your gran used to read, but flipped to reveal a gory, violent world barely concealed. There’s milage in that idea.
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I don’t know that movie. Tried looking for it. Is that the title? The idea sounds right though.
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Sorry, not In Design, In Fabric,
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That sounds more supernatural. Josie here is an independent businesswoman as well as a mom with a beautiful family. She also kills people with hammers and saws and then has to spend hours cleaning all the blood up.
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Reminds me of the movie Serial Mom starring Kathleen Turner.
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I can see that. Bit of Mr and Mrs Smith da movie too.
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Love that movie.
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There’s a bit of that. Josie is a professional though, a contract killer. It’s actually a great looking comic. She does that 50s fashion/lifestyle magazine look mixed with blood and violence perfectly.
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The cover is excellent.
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And the thing is, it’s all that good inside. The art is terrific. The cover isn’t just some tease. There are no lazy panels.
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ALL movies should be approached with suspicion. I’d take it a step further and say all entertainment should be approached with suspicion. Even morris dancing…
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And you should always suspect your neighbour of being a serial killer.
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Wait, there are people who don’t? Man, what kind of namby pamby world are we living in now?
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There are people who are endlessly optimistic about human nature. They’re usually the first to die . . .
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I bet those kind of people taste great with bbq sauce….
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Or a Morris dancer – equally evil.
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But do they taste good melted and slathered in bbq sauce?
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This sounds like Scottish cuisine.
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True Scottish cuisine uses a combination of melted goats and volleyball players. I’m just thinking of trying to use materials on hand…
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Probably not, too tough.
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There’s a reason the original recipe calls for goats and volleyball players….
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