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A review by quetzelish
Pretty Deadly, Vol. 2: The Bear by Emma Ríos, Kelly Sue DeConnick
4.0
Volume two of Pretty Deadly starts off where the previous volume left off, in a world that has a distinct and deep lore and logic that the audience is not privy to. Both volumes of this series have told self contained stories, framed by recurring characters who, I'll be totally honest, I don't know or understand. There are so many faces that aren't given time or distinct framing on the page. The dialogue is sparse but poetic, beautiful but esoteric and by the end, I don't know who the important characters are. It seems like two different story ideas are at war with each other all throughout the volume (which is the same for the previous one too, but that one was a bit more centered around the new death and Ginny). On the one hand, Pretty Deadly wants to tell a grand story that has many layers and plays the long game with its narrative, not cluing us into its world because it is saving the reveals for later. This is an approach that wants to develop its characters and through them, expose the audience to the world and it's history. But at the same time, it wants to be a series of mini-series. Vignettes into the adventures of Death-Faced Ginny, the first being in the Wild West, this one being a WWI drama. Each one building upon the last like Hellboy but expanding the characters through each arc, broadening world not through one narrative that has an end game, but through the interaction with new people in new places.
The problem with this war is that Pretty Deadly suffers for it. It does not seem to have an end game, nothing for the readers to look towards for the characters and unlike Hellboy, it does not have any consistent central character to develop. It jumps too much without ever clearly telling the reader why we should care about any of them. Although that is a bit disingenuous because we do have a "central" character who is brand new to this volume. But he has his own narrative mostly unconnected to the rest of the larger universe. We see multiple reapers throughout the volume but we barely know any of the motivation behind their interactions, why they are there on the battlefield or what the point. All this brings me back to the biggest questions of Pretty Deadly, who and why?
What I mean by this is that ostensibly, Pretty Deadly is the story of Death Faced Ginny but we know nothing about her. Or if we do, I forgot it since reading volume 1 because Pretty Deadly throws so much at you that it's hard to know what's important or even what is happening at any given moment. But it is alright that she is kept mysterious because it doesn't really matter to the story, she's just a vehicle to go from place to place. Unfortunately, almost every character suffers from the same problem of unclear backgrounds and missing information. The only ones we get any information on are the bunny skeleton, the butterfly, the dying grandmother and her son Marcus? off fighting the war. So many faces without names (or names said once or to groups with similar faces) or clear relations come and go. The world itself is constant and it's obvious that there is tons of history for each character but we aren't given enough of it explicitly or implicitly to understand it as we read it. Who are these people and why are they important...I couldn't tell you and that's a shame because I really do love Pretty Deadly.
I absolutely love the breathtaking artwork and coloring done by Rios and Bellaire. The colors pop and mesh and blend so beautifully and even though they depict a war, it isn't a sea of muddy browns and grays. Every color arrives and works together. The art itself is spectacular in its scope, portraying every detail and playing with composition to turn the whole page into something that could be looked over time and time again, always noticing something new and different. But this also hurts it as many times, the art compliments the action by being almost impossible to follow. It's hard to tell what's important on any given page, especially the war scenes with the reapers, and following the story on some pages is impossible to do clearly; partially due to the poetic nature of Kelly Sue's prose/narration. It really is poetic but as with most poetry, it is hard to find a surface meaning that isn't confusing or complicated by the language of the poem or it's deeper meanings. A surface meaning is important to a story because it is a stepping stone for deeper commentary, discussion and world building. Instead of feeling like I'm immersing myself in a deep pool where I can semi-control how fast I enter the depths, I feel as if I've been thrown into a deep, barely lit well.
All this being said, I still highly recommend this series. I wouldn't have gone back to this volume if I didn't care. The story, if taken as a vignette war story, is fantastic and the art is always some of the best art out there (even if it doesn't always work as clear storytelling). I only wish the end goal, or lack thereof, would be made clear. There are seeds of an ongoing story but they have yet to grow into anything connective, which is really disappointing as that is what it sells itself to be. I hope the next volume has more clarity and some of the who's and why's are answered.
The problem with this war is that Pretty Deadly suffers for it. It does not seem to have an end game, nothing for the readers to look towards for the characters and unlike Hellboy, it does not have any consistent central character to develop. It jumps too much without ever clearly telling the reader why we should care about any of them. Although that is a bit disingenuous because we do have a "central" character who is brand new to this volume
Spoiler
and who dies at the end after being thrown around from character to characterSpoiler
True, it is all because Marcus is related to the the old woman from the framing device of both volumes but the reasons for why he is being protected are never made fully clear while reading, leaving me confused as I try to piece the narrative together.What I mean by this is that ostensibly, Pretty Deadly is the story of Death Faced Ginny
Spoiler
as it is her name that grace's the will return comment at the bottom of both volumesI absolutely love the breathtaking artwork and coloring done by Rios and Bellaire. The colors pop and mesh and blend so beautifully and even though they depict a war, it isn't a sea of muddy browns and grays. Every color arrives and works together. The art itself is spectacular in its scope, portraying every detail and playing with composition to turn the whole page into something that could be looked over time and time again, always noticing something new and different. But this also hurts it as many times, the art compliments the action by being almost impossible to follow. It's hard to tell what's important on any given page, especially the war scenes with the reapers, and following the story on some pages is impossible to do clearly; partially due to the poetic nature of Kelly Sue's prose/narration. It really is poetic but as with most poetry, it is hard to find a surface meaning that isn't confusing or complicated by the language of the poem or it's deeper meanings. A surface meaning is important to a story because it is a stepping stone for deeper commentary, discussion and world building. Instead of feeling like I'm immersing myself in a deep pool where I can semi-control how fast I enter the depths, I feel as if I've been thrown into a deep, barely lit well.
All this being said, I still highly recommend this series. I wouldn't have gone back to this volume if I didn't care. The story, if taken as a vignette war story, is fantastic and the art is always some of the best art out there (even if it doesn't always work as clear storytelling). I only wish the end goal, or lack thereof, would be made clear. There are seeds of an ongoing story but they have yet to grow into anything connective, which is really disappointing as that is what it sells itself to be. I hope the next volume has more clarity and some of the who's and why's are answered.