The Deadliest Bouquet

Written by Erica Shultz
Art by Carola Borelli
Colors Gab Contreras, Tom Chu, Chefel Peterson, James Peñafiel
Letters by Erica Shultz
Published by Vices Press.

Buy it HERE.

A Tale of Three Sisters.

Author Erica Shultz obviously has an interest in the relationship of the three sisters. This interest overrides everything in The Deadliest Bouquet, to the point of wringing out all the value to be had with the inter-sisterly drama.

I did 'Nazi' this coming...

Where there could have been chase scenes or gun battles or a great villain reveal (I'm thinking of all those 1970s novels/movies with hidden Nazis like The Odessa File or Eye of the Needle) we get nothing that takes us out of the New Jersey area, and the late Jasmine's flower shop. If that's the case then I wonder why there needs to be a 'espionage' or 'assassin daughter in training' back story in the first place? It's not like it's being put to use, the danger aspects: the knife play, judo moves, Nazi-hunting aspects of The Deadliest Bouquet seem to be added ingredients for flavor.

I have a strong feeling that this was one of those times that a comic creator just had to put in pictures the story in her head -even if it's heavy on the talky side. The interpersonal relationships of the three sisters:

It's not all talk.

There are a few interesting highlights. Carola Borelli's characters are assured and confident in her line. She and Erica provide a great sense of pacing, there's quite a few scenes where there's no dialogue, only one character walking through the house or down the street silently. Those parts do play nicely in contrast with the more verbal parts, so there's at least that aspect of comic book creation that they take advantage of.

I just wish I could've gone to Marrakesh or Greece instead of stuck in New Jersey.

Next Tuesday:

The Stoner Universe lives again with another weird Science Fiction adventure I've been to before:
Starweed #2!
by Lex Wilson and Toni Gregory