Book Review: Pretty Deadly Vol. 2 by K. S. DeConnick et al.

Pretty Deadly Volume 2: The Bear written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and art and covers by Emma Rios

After Volume 1, the story jumps ahead to World War I with an elderly African-American woman on her deathbed. All of her family and friends have come to visit except for one son, Cyrus, who is off in Europe fighting in the trenches. The old lady convinces Death's agent, a guy named Fox, to delay a month to give Cyrus a chance to make it home and say goodbye. Turns out Fox is an old flame for the old lady, so he not only agrees to the month delay but he actively campaigns to get Cyrus back home. The narrative shifts to the World War I battlefield. There, Ginny and Sissy (two of the main characters from Volume 1) are in pursuit of Cyrus. They also want to take out the Death agent who is causing so much carnage during World War I. Can a senseless war end with the banishment of Death's agent?

The story in this issue is simpler, more direct, and more artistic. With less plot to get through, the artist has more room to show the plot and themes of the book on big panels and splash pages. The big images also give an epic feel to the more intimate story of a son trying to get home to say goodbye to his momma.

I found the story enjoyable but not as good as the first volume, which was able to pack in more mythology. Also, the theme of Ginny being a sort of avenging angel (which I found the most interesting part of the story) is dropped. This book contains some fun supplemental materials about the creation and the art of the story.