Review: Pretty Deadly, Volume One: The Shrike by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos

Synopsis: Death's daughter rides the wind on a horse made of smoke and her face bears the skull marks of her father. Her origin story is a tale of retribution as beautifully lush as it is unflinchingly savage.

Review: I knew this was dark going in, but holy schmoly! With vivid reds, fire-burnt oranges, and smoky blacks, with a poet’s words and a vindictive hand, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos, give the reader a bloody, gut-wrenching tale about Death and the Mason and the Woman and the Daughter. Part western, part folktale, part gothic story, with the same creepy taste as Poe and Lovecraft, we follow the Mason as he travels the wide west, his companion a small girl wearing the Vulture Crown. Who she is and why she matters, and why the lady in white with the habit of dying wants her dead and the lady with the scull painted on her face wants her alive - well, read the tale to find out!

Perfect for anyone who enjoys Macabre or Gothic tales, the Grimdark or the Bloody, this is the book for you. 

Bookmarks: 4.5 of 5

Awards:  Eisner Awards in 2014: DeConnick for Best Writer, Rios for Best Penciller/Inker and Best Cover Artist, and Jordie Bellaire for Best Coloring.

ISBN: 978-1607069621
Year Published: 2014
Date Finished: 4-21-2017
Pages: 120