Kill or Be Killed #13 Review

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Remember that badass opening scene from the first issue of Kill or Be Killed? Well guess what–we’ve finally gotten back to it!

First Read Reactions

• There is nothing more meta than Dylan referring to himself as the worst narrator in history.
• I wasn’t sure if this book could propose a non-supernatural theory for the demon that was still scary, but they pulled it off.
• Dang. Dylan’s mom was a total babe back in the day.
• There’s never a good time to find out about secret and/or forgotten family members (especially when they’re dead).
• Kira definitely knows something’s up.
• Mafia guys make the worst freelance artists. Everyone knows that.
• Angry Dylan > Crazy Dylan.
• Angry Dylan = Crazy Dylan?
• “And now you have no idea what’s coming next.”

The Verdict

On one hand, the multiple revelations we get about Dylan’s family history–both the stuff he already knew and the surprises even to him–feel a bit shoehorned. On the other, they’re pretty damn interesting.

But as someone who tends to criticize serials for having stale and repetitive narratives (which itself is pretty meta, as well), I should probably give Brubaker credit for making sure his story continues to have plenty of springboards from which it can keep things fresh.

I’m also still not convinced that the demon from the beginning of the series is a hallucination. Even if I’m dead wrong, though, Brubaker is doing a great job teasing things in both natural and supernatural directions–and making sure that either way, the ultimate answer is guaranteed to be horrifically messed up.

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And how awesome is that shootout scene? Sean Phillips and Elizabeth Breitweiser get a lot of attention for crafting pretty pictures, but they can also put together an action sequence with the best of them. Even if the story wasn’t good, Kill or Be Killed would still easily be one of the best looking books on the stands.

Thankfully, Brubaker has managed to craft a tale that gets more layered and interesting every month. Now that we are past the point of the series’ initial flashback, there’s no telling where the book will go–and I can’t wait to find out.

Kill or Be Killed #13

Is it good?

Despite a couple of shoehorned revelations, the story of how Dylan became a killer vigilante continues to get more interesting and exciting each month.

Sean Phillips and Elizabeth Breitweiser get a lot of attention for crafting pretty pictures, but they can also put together an action sequence with the best of them.

Brubaker deserves a lot of credit for making sure his story continues to have plenty of springboards from which it can keep things fresh.

Unfortunately, this issue's biggest revelations feel a bit shoehorned into the narrative.

8.5

Great

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Comixology/Amazon