Gun Honey is one of the more James Bond-inspired espionage comics that is coming out now, and there’s a new chapter launching this week called Heat Seeker: Combustion. Featuring a voluptuous main character, the male gaze is alive and well with this series, but don’t let that get in the way of tight pacing and good action sequences.
Writer Charles Ardai knows how to plot a spy story complete with beautiful location changes and a threat that has high stakes. By the end of the issue, it’s clear Dahlia Racers needs to keep the McGuffin, a young girl, safe, or superhuman enemies may be knocking on the good guy’s doors.
Heat Seeker: Combustion #1 opens in Venice, with Dahlia running away from a threat and a young girl rushing along with her. Intercut with this chase is a meeting between Dahlia and a professor, which works to deliver exposition amongst the action. Surprises in the chase occur not unlike a good Mission: Impossible caper, and away the story goes. The story takes us to other locales involving castles, nuns, and a spa for the super-rich.
Venice seems to be a top location for action movies, right?
Credit: Titan
Artist Ace Continuado does a great job keeping the action front and center and interesting. The art can sometimes look unfinished, but it gets the job done. There are obvious close-ups of butts and breasts that aren’t really necessary, but the sexuality in the comic is a feature folks picking this up are looking for.
There is full-frontal nudity, although it’s never very gratuitous. That’s because characters are naked at times, but they aren’t having sex or doing anything provocative. They’re sorta just there. I’d argue it makes the comic feel like it’s aiming for adults with mature visuals and themes rather than placating a horny teen audience. That’s not to say the covers aren’t trying to pull that off, but at least the story isn’t doing it.
As far as the main story goes, there’s enough here to hang your hat on. There are zigs and zags, intense action scenes, and twists. The biggest negative might be a costume change that requires nudity in a spa, only to switch back into her regular clothes a page later. It’s a jarring switch that had me wondering if I missed something.
Overall, Heat Seeker: Combustion – A Gun Honey Series offers a bold, action-packed read that leans heavily into spy thriller tropes while delivering a mature, adult-oriented experience. Charles Ardai’s storytelling and Ace Continuado’s dynamic art create a world that’s as sensual as dangerous. While some of the nudity and focus on sexuality can feel gratuitous, it aligns with the series’ pulpy, James Bond-inspired aesthetic, designed for readers looking for a raw, unfiltered take on the spy genre. For fans of suspenseful, fast-paced comics with a mature edge, this first issue promises an engaging start to Dahlia’s latest adventure.
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