Writer Justin Jordan’s badass crime sequel series continues in Dead Body Road: Bad Blood #2. The story revolves around Bree Hale, a woman who traded in her checkered past to start a new life as the bar owner of a place called The Country Squire, but a guy named Monk Sinclair is a threat to her new existence. Monk is a crime boss searching for Hale’s brother Hunter, who has wronged him in some way. The first issue saw Monk send a goon called Cutter to try to get the whereabouts of Hunter from Bree. He failed.
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I simply loved the first issue of this sequel, and the second is no different. It starts with the police investigating Bree’s burnt down bar and finding the corpse of Monk’s hitman Cutter. What makes this book so significant besides the kickass action we come to expect is the mystery. There are still a lot of pieces of the puzzle for the reader to discover, like just what the heck is Monk Sinclair looking for? What did Bree’s brother Hunter do in the first place, and is there further backstory on our main protagonist, Bree Hale?
While none of those questions are answered in this issue, we do get to see first-hand why Bree was considered dangerous in her former life. Like the first John Wick film, we get to witness Bree Hale revert from a friendly bar owner back to a ruthless killer. To me, she’s a mixture of Beatrix Kiddo (Kill Bill), Samantha Caine (The Long Kiss Goodnight), and Lorraine Broughton (Atomic Blonde) all rolled into one. It’ll be interesting to see how Jordan puts her through the ringer to save her brother’s life.
Aside from that, the focus of the issue for the most part, to quote Vin Diesel, is “You don’t turn your back on family.” It’s a great example of the lengths we’re willing to go for the people we love. It’s also a superb balance of good versus evil as Bree has shown thus far that she’s on the same level if not higher than the antagonist Monk Sinclair. The pacing, dialogue, and action are overall stellar.
In regards to the art, Benjamin Tiesma knows how to make great, turn-paging illustrations. His work gives the book just the right blend of emotion and engagement to keep readers wanting to see what’s going to happen next. His work reminds me of other great artists like Leinil Yu. Tiesma is the total package, having great character designs, impressive usage of facial expressions, and knowing how to create awesome panels with great intensity. One of my favorite moments of this issue is opening the first page and seeing a dead body in a story properly titled Dead Body Road.
Dead Body Road: Bad Blood #2 is a real treat that should leave you excited for the next one. Kudos to the entire Dead Body Road team, including letterer Pat Brosseau and colorist Mat Lopes, who all did such an amazing job at bringing this crime action drama to life. You don’t need to have read the previous series to enjoy this book, and I highly recommend jumping on board while it’s only two issues in.
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