Here's my review of BULLET GAL #2 by Andrez Bergen and IF? Commix.

Mitzi about to reach out and touch someone. Interior art by Andrez Bergen.

It was with great surprise that I opened up my inbox and found BULLET GAL #2 waiting for me. I had no idea Andrez Bergen was continuing the story of Mitzi (the woman who will soon become Bullet Gal), much less that he had completed issue #2. I'm not sure where Andrez finds the hours in the day, but my hat's off to him. He also sent along a file with sample art from the release, which I'll be including throughout the review. Well, on to the details. Issue # 2 is 28 pages of noir goodness, published by IF? Commix. The physical version will be available for $5 in Australia. The digital version will be available on their website at the end of August 2014, for just $1! You get quite the bonus with the digital release, as it includes the 20 page BULLET GAL #1, along with previews from a number of other upcoming releases by Andrez and friends. You really can't go wrong with extra goodies, can you? Right, I didn't think so. Well here's a brief synopsis for everyone...

Mitzi and the mysterious Lee. Interior art by Andrez.

Since the events of the last issue (here's my review of issue #1, if you haven't read it), Mitzi has hooked up with a mysterious man named Lee. He has offered to show Mitzi the way of doing things in Heropa, and more or less train her to be a Cape (also known as a Bop, essentially a superhero). Mitzi isn't quite sure if she can trust him, but she takes him up on his offer, at least for now. At the moment, she is engaged in a training exercise of his devising, which she is thoroughly enjoying. When he calls an abrupt halt to the mission, Mitzi walks out in disgust. Meanwhile, across town, Heropa's crime lords are having an urgent meeting. The topic? How to stop a certain vigilante who has been thinning their ranks, of late. Plus, we're introduced to an utterly psychotic young lady, who has a number of interesting ideas on how to solve the vigilante problem. It looks like there's a whole lot of trouble headed Mitzi's way...

This one is pure TROUBLE. Interior art by Andrez.

As I said, this was a complete surprise to me. It also knocked my socks off! I was really hoping for more BULLET GAL, but there was no way I expected anything from Andrez this soon (In a related note, he's already hard at work on issue #3! Ssshhh... don't tell anyone!). As time consuming as his art technique is, Andrez just keeps improving as he goes along. I'm really wowed with the visuals contained in this release, they are quite beautifully rendered. The lush black and white renderings perfectly fit the noir surroundings, and have a certain hallucinogenic quality to them (reference the art to your left fro an example). The writing style is taut, perfectly describing the world Mitzi is living in. Namely, one where she doesn't know who to trust, where everyone seems to be out to get her, possibly, even the man who's training her (she should be used to this, but that's an entirely different story... Mum's the word). I love the way both issues have ended with a cliffhanger, which reminds me of the old movie serials (of which I'm a huge fan). All in all, I was definitely impressed by the second issue of BULLET GAL. Andrez is building on the solid start he established in issue #1, and has upped the ante with issue #2. Highly recommended reading! Do yourself a favor, and take a look at this unique new comic series. You'll have a blast...

HEROPA. Interior art by Andrez.

Here's the IF? Commix website. Here's Andrez's blog. Swing by and take a look around. As always, happy reading! I've got to go, have two more reviews I'm working on, and also reading a great book. Have a great one, all!

Some bad men, and an even badder lady. Interior art by Andrez.