We’re on the final issue of the Painkiller Jane: 22 Brides mini-series. How will this story end? Is it good?
Painkiller Jane: 22 Brides #3 (Icon)
Time to bring this mad bombing case to rest: Jane has found the people in charge of all this madness and is going to get the answers she wants. Also, a 22 Brides member gets quite a surprise.
Also, sorry about the landing.
So what I can say about the conclusion to Painkiller Jane: 22 Brides? Well, it wasn’t really bad — it just sort of petered out at the end. All this build up to find out who caused all of these bombings and it turned out to be rather anti-climactic; the bomber is a person we’ve never seen before, who wasn’t remotely a threat, and had some random tie and connection to one of the 22 Brides. No big finish and then issue just ends with Jane hanging out and conforting the Bride character. The comforting scene on the beach is nice and handled well, but it should have ended there almost instead of continuing on to a random bit where Jane and the Bride handle a robbery. It’s just not that much of a conclusion overall sadly.
Not much to really report on the rest of Palmiotti’s writing either. Character-wise, Jane and that particular Bride get the most character work and development out of anyone. The problem is that prior to this the Bride barely had any focus on her, so all of this feels underwhelming. Jane came away good, on the other hand, with her bonding scene. As for the rest, none of the other 22 Brides make an appearance in the story shockingly and Maureen doesn’t really do much of anything. The dialogue is fine and has some personality to it but the pacing is rather off, zipping through the climax and dragging out the aftermath of it.
Like before, the artwork isn’t anything to really write home about. The characters are fine for the most part, but some expressions feel off or body proportions look wrong. The action is fine, but nothing special or exciting. The layouts are okay and get the job done, but don’t stand out that much. The coloring is decent enough, though the inking makes things look angular and off in several areas. Ultimately, it’s artwork that works but doesn’t stand out too much overall.
Is It Good?
Painkiller Jane: 22 Brides #3 is a limp and unimpressive conclusion to rather disappointing and unexciting mini-series. While there is nothing particularly offensive or poorly written, it’s just a conclusion that sort of ends without any gravitas or excitement. There’s sadly nothing to really recommend or talk about overall. Just skip this and go get the other mini-series, Price of Freedom, if you want a fun and exciting action tale.
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