KILLING GIRL #1

**MattBrady** · 08-02-2007, 07:45 PM

Back in early June, we spoke with writer Glen Brunswick about his (the) upcoming Image miniseries, Killing Girl. Well, it's now due out next week, and Image Comics have provided us with a nine page preview of the story, featuring art by Frank (Rocketo) Espinosa.

In our original interview, we asked the writer to spell things out a little for us.

Newsarama: So timeline things out a little - when did Killing Girl become an itch you were looking to scratch?

GB: I do love a good Mafia story. And, I really wanted to write one. The thing is, when you think about setting those stories in present day you run smack into the reality that the Mafia doesn’t really exist anymore. The government has been after them for so many years with the RICO statute. All that’s left is this myth of what the Mafia used to be.

So the idea was born from a “What If” scenario. Taking things back to the mid 1980’s, I started to wonder what life would be like if the government never really went after the mob in a real way. What if the RICO statute was only a public relations move to make it look as if the government was taking down organized crime? The CIA then cuts a deal with the five families that essentially turns them into a covert killing mechanism for the government. The Mafia is happy to handle the nasty jobs that the CIA would be glad to distance itself from.

NRAMA: Tell us about Sara - the teaser in the solicits give enough to lay things out, but let's hear it in your words...who is she?

GB: Sara is a complicated gal. She has a huge capacity for joy and an even stronger need to be loved. She would have been an incredible force for good in society had her destiny taken a different shape. Unfortunately, given her questionable upbringing, the main thing Sara considers being good involves killing someone. She takes pride in a job well executed. And she is one of the most precise operatives in the killing game.

Sara is a survivor. She has overcome her childhood kidnapping, nonstop brainwashing and a horrendous period when she was forced into prostitution. Her ability to kill is showcased when a degenerate customer threatens her life. Her pimp, a top Mafia Capo, takes notice. He decides to groom her to become an assassin for the Cosa Nostra secret service. She even gets a Mafia support staff not unlike Bond’s “Q Branch.”

Sara is naturally bright. A part of her knows that something is wrong. She reads psychology books that rationalize her vocation. She thinks of her victims as people who are already dead but they just don’t know it yet. Her theory is proven whenever she is unavailable to do a job. Inevitably, that target turns up dead anyway.

I mentioned earlier that Sara’s need for love makes her tick. This trait is ultimately the one thing that may also save her. When Sara discovers that she has a sister, her childhood memories begin to return. She begins a journey toward redemption sparked by the memory of love that she had with her older sister when she was just a child.

Click on the link above for the full interview, and on the thumbnails below for larger versions of the pages.

AaronStC · 08-03-2007, 12:55 PM

This looks pretty cool.

coolmvm · 08-03-2007, 01:13 PM

Looks kind of like a painting telling a story.

PreCrisisDC · 08-03-2007, 01:35 PM

The last series F. Espinosa did for Speakeasy, I was actually turned off by the art...but it has grown on me....this series, I will definitely pick up..it looks great!

thingone · 08-03-2007, 01:36 PM

Wow. Espinosa's artwork is really unique. I love that penultimate page. I notice that in August Previews, #3 is solicited with artwork by Toby Cypress. I hope he or she can approach Espinosa's level of manic magic.

rick861 · 08-03-2007, 01:41 PM

Espinos'a art is fantastic... so expressive and alive. It's a lost art to be able to convey a story simply with a brush. Coloring is a perfect complement. I'm buying this just for the art alone, story/plot is just a bonus.

CitC · 08-03-2007, 03:45 PM

Quote:

I was actually turned off by the art...but it has grown on me

I didn't care for the covers, but when I finally picked it up and actually gave it a chance I fell in love with it. F.Espinosa is now one of my favorites. I can't believe I almost forgot to order this.

Phasmal · 08-03-2007, 04:57 PM

Not feeling the art (the guy on the penultimate page looks like he came out of MAD Magazine) and the story doesn't sound like anything new. And could there be a more bland title for the tale? Nothing better came up after the working title? It reminds me of the Cheat Commandos character from Homestar Runner, Gunhaver- but he was named for the ironic laugh.

sillythekid · 08-03-2007, 05:21 PM

I will buy anything with Frank Espinosa's name on it. The wait for more Rocketo is killing me.

jasinmartin · 08-03-2007, 05:46 PM

Looking forward to this one!!

GlenBru · 08-03-2007, 06:04 PM

If the preview has you wanting more info on KILLING GIRL be sure to check out the blog at:

http://www.killinggirl.blogspot.com

Many thanks to Matt Brady and Newsarama for hosting the preview!

Glen Brunswick

SoulGem71 · 08-04-2007, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thingone

... I notice that in August Previews, #3 is solicited with artwork by Toby Cypress...

You've GOT to be kidding me.

A five-issue mini and he needs a fill-in?

It's not like we're getting ROCKETO out of him at the same time... PLEASE tell me this is an error.

thingone · 08-05-2007, 02:09 AM

Sheesh; I must have been hallucinating or looking at the wrong thing or something. I'm at work and don't have my copy of Previews here, but:

In the solicitations posted at Comics Continuum and CBR (I can't seem to search down the Image solicitations here at the 'Rama), Espinosa is listed as doing both cover and art. The same goes for the August Previews text file at Hovistocose.

Sorry if I passed on bad info.

fast eddie · 08-05-2007, 12:15 PM

I have to say, Frank Espinosa's art is quite beautiful. I really haven't given much thought to it before, but wow, it's like a breath of fresh air. Ordering this for sure. I'll have to track down Rocketo. Did you guys and gals know that he did a back up story in Doc Samson #4 and #5 for Marvel? Pretty cool.

Another artist/writer I've been digging of late is Scott Morse. Even though he's been around for a long while, I've just been "discovering" his stuff. I've always seen it, but it never really grabbed me until recently. I love it when that happens. It opens up a whole new avenue of cool material to find and enjoy. If you like Espinosa's stuff, you should check out Scott's stuff as well. May I recommend Spaghetti Western, Ancient Joe, and Soulwind. Or if you're more into his mainstream stuff, Elektra: Glimpse and Echo mini, the Plastic Man fill in issue he did for Kyle Baker, or the truly excellent Batman: Room Full of Strangers one shot.

danzo · 08-07-2007, 02:02 AM

hmmm, that's one of the better-drawn 24-hour comics i've seen....

SoulGem71 · 08-07-2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thingone

Sheesh; I must have been hallucinating or looking at the wrong thing or something. I'm at work and don't have my copy of Previews here, but:

In the solicitations posted at Comics Continuum and CBR (I can't seem to search down the Image solicitations here at the 'Rama), Espinosa is listed as doing both cover and art. The same goes for the August Previews text file at Hovistocose.

Sorry if I passed on bad info.

Thanks for the correction, thingone!

This mini is the only thing making the wait for more ROCKETO semi-bearable!