GUN HONEY: BLOOD FOR BLOOD #2, from Titan Comics on October 5th, 2022, takes Joanna Tan and Agent Brook on a wild ride when Joanna is framed for murder, and her only hope is a fugitive drug designer.
The Details
- Written by: Charles Ardai
- Art by: Ang Hor Kheng
- Colors by: Asifur Rahman
- Letters by: David Leach
- Cover art by: Derrick Chew
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: October 5, 2022
Is It Good?
GUN HONEY: BLOOD FOR BLOOD #2 ups the intrigue, the danger level, and the opportunities for Joanna Tan to get naked in one fast-paced issue. If that description doesn’t float your boat, nothing will.
Ardai goes all in with the spycraft in this issue as Joanna Tan is forced to escape captivity TWICE when she’s caught in the wrong place and at the wrong time. The fast-paced movement keeps you on your toes as Joanna moves from one locale to the next, with the help of Agent Brook, to find out who’s trying to frame her for murder. When the details of Joanna’s secret enemy come to light, she’s forced to play catch up while evading international police, gangsters, and paid assassins. You get plenty of action that rivals some of the better James Bond stories.
The down point of this issue is the number of twists, turns, and red herrings to track. The villain is revealed, but her motivations and plan of attack change with regularity, so it’s not clear what Sterling is doing or why. Just when you think you understand her, the story changes again. In fairness, there are plenty of bare-knuckled crime actions happening to hold your attention, but the plot is at risk of becoming convoluted.
A minor down point is the number of times Joanna gets naked. Nudity is fine when it makes sense, but here, Joanna seems to be shedding her clothes as often as possible, even when unnecessary. We’re not prudes, but the nudity should feel organic to the story, and there are a few spots in this issue where the nudity felt contrived.
Kheng’s are is beautiful in this issue and a perfect pairing with Ardai’s story. The action is gritty, the dramatic use of shadows and panel angles emphasize the crime noir theme, and Rahman’s subtle coloring is richly detailed.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
To find out how Joanna Tan got herself in another fine mess, check out our GUN HONEY: BLOOD FOR BLOOD #1 review.
We begin with Joanna Tan standing over a dead body, the daughter of a former drug dealer turned wealthy entrepreneur, while the police close in. Joanna flees the scene and uses every stealth trick at her disposal to escape, but the number of police is overwhelming, so she surrenders.
Promptly, Joanna escapes custody at the expense of a hapless guard.
Almost immediately, Joanna is jumped and taken hostage by hired thugs of the drug dealer whose daughter was murdered. Before the drug dealer arrives to personally interrogate Joanna, she escapes (again) with a little trick inspired by Houdini.
Later, Joanna and Agent Brook theorize the killer, Filippa Sterling is trying to kill two birds with one stone by framing Joanna out of revenge while killing everyone associated with the drug dealer as a contract job. Their theory is incorrect. We conclude the issue with vehicle tricks that would make 007 giddy, bird’s eye views, and “too little, too late.”
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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GUN HONEY: BLOOD FOR BLOOD #2 is a spicy, fast-paced, action-packed issue to get your hardboiled crime heart pumping. The plot is filled with plenty of twists and turns (possibly too many), and the art is gripping.
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