Review – Fistful of Blood #2 (IDW Publishing)

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Kevin Eastman
Artist: Simon Bisley
Release Date: 25th November, 2015

Okay, where to start…

It’s the woman with no name. It’s the Artists with no shame, and if you like shamelessness, you should maybe buy this comic.

If you are into Kevin Eastman and Simon Bisley, then this is a must, just for the historical record.

If you are into mash up zombie & vampire horror and spaghetti westerns, then you should read this.

If you like a scantily clad woman not talking and shooting things, then you may want to read this.

If you like a riff on the “Man With no Name” then maybe you should read this.

If you like gratuitous titillation then this comic could be for you.

If you like breasts and butts the size of small moons, then buy this comic.

If you have the mentality of, or are a lad on the cusp of pubescence then this could be the book for you (after all, this is aimed at “mature” readers).

There you go, eight reasons to buy this comic.

Here’s one reason why I’m not going to buy it. None of the above really floats my boat.

It may have worked in Heavy Metal 15 years ago when it originally birthed, but I really feel that it’s a comic that’s had its day. It comes from a place and a time where “suggested for mature readers” meant “there are tits and arse and gore, so if you’re fifteen you should buy it” and I don’t really have much nostalgia for comics of this ilk.

I definitely think that whilst this tries to straddle the line between empowering and exploitation, for me it’s more than a few miles over the line into exploitative.

There are a couple of panels that really don’t do this book any favours. Example: a zombie dies and he complains that he has lived for hundreds of years only to be beaten by a girl. Example 2: a vampire congratulates her for offing the zombie by saying, you did well… for a girl. Okay, the target audience isn’t the new wave of female readership, but c’mon, this is verging on the misogynistic.

Maybe I’m the wrong person to be reviewing this book, maybe I’m not. Have a look for yourself if you really want to and tell me if I’m wrong.

Rating: 2/5 (The way she kills the zombie is worth a point all by itself).

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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