John Layman and Dan Boultwood cook up another doozy of an entry with Chu #4. If there’s anything we’ve learned so far from the story, it’s that Saffron Chu needs to cut Eddie Molay loose. He’s rude, never truly listens to Saffron’s opinion, and almost got her sister Sage killed. But love is blind sometimes.
Chu #4 sees the aftermath of Saffron killing the second hitman Mr. Papers, sent by gangster Don Bucatini. Bucatini is determined to murder Saffron, Eddie, and any of the rest of their crew for attempting to rob him. This issue mainly focuses on Eddie and Saffron sending them off on separate agendas that equally affect one another. Eddie uses the last of their savings to find someone to dispose of Mr. Paper’s body. Saffron is to recuperate their finances.
Where does Layman send Saffron to obtain said money? Why, a jewelry convention, of course! This was a nice touch considering jewels are a common trope associated with thieves and criminals. It’s here that we witness Saffron showcasing her con artist skills, further pushing her towards criminal mastermind status. The whole thing plays out like a scene out of the Ocean’s Eleven series (the George Clooney, ones not the Sinatra ones) with the usual Layman jokes and cleverly placed dialogue.
Given that Saffron goes into the convention to sucker some poor jeweler, she needs to look the part. Boultwood does an excellent job of creating the perfect dress design with right balances of cleavage and sex appeal to make the jewelers distracted enough for her to accomplish her real objective. It’s a well-paced and solid read filled with the usual laughable creative moments you come to love from Chu.
Chu #4 is another fun installment in the series. Four books in and it feels like the hijinks and crazy shenanigans are just getting started. The writing and art get better with each issue and the ending will make you come back to read the next one.
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