GUN HONEY: COLLISION COURSE #3, by Titan Comics on 7/10/24, gets hearts racing in the penultimate issue when all forces converge in Yamato’s fortress vault to steal its secrets.
Credits:
- Writer: Charles Ardai
- Artist: Ang Hor Kheng, Jose Zapata, Joao Rodri
- Colorist: Joao Rodri
- Letterer: David Leach
- Cover Artist: JeeHyung Lee (Cover A)
- Publisher: Titan Comics
- Release Date: July 10, 2024
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 34
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of GUN HONEY: COLLISION COURSE #3:
Plot Analysis:
When last we left Joanna Tan and Brook Barrow in Gun Honey: Collision Course #2, Yamato was kidnapped by his rivals to get to the fabled Vault where information regarding an international network of criminals, terrorists, and gangsters rests in safekeeping. Krueger discovered the Vault’s location by torturing Yamato’s trusted people, and Tan found the location through one of Yamato’s mistresses. The issue concluded with all forces racing to the Vault’s location.
In Gun Honey: Collision Course #3, we begin with a flashback of Krueger’s secret meetings with Lydia Morse, Brook’s former boss. The ethically bankrupt government agents schemed to keep Brook’s Boy Scout ways out of their business by putting him on the Joanna Tan case, underestimating how successful he would eventually be.
Charles Ardai uses the flashback to underscore how morally bankrupt Krueger and Morse really were. Although you don’t get a lot of new information, the scene does plant the seed that a larger scheme was years in the making.
Krueger and his men spot the rival monsters approaching the Vault with Yamato at gunpoint, which leads to a gunpoint confrontation at the structure’s gates. Krueger wants Yamato, but Yamato tells both parties that their posturing is pointless. If they enter without the codes, the site explodes in twenty minutes. If they kill him, the site explodes in twenty seconds. Either way, the physical evidence is destroyed, and all digital files will be released to the Internet.
Ardai cleverly uses the standoff to create a logical quandary. Which tactic of use of force will get Krueger what he wants? This scene serves as a good way to heighten tension and keep readers guessing.
Suddenly, a bling old woman with a staff hobbles up to the tense meeting. She explains she happened upon the Vault and the trio of Yamato’s buxom beauties waiting inside while on a walking pilgrimage. Since she arrived, she taught the women to farm and defend themselves. Before Krueger can laugh off the old woman’s story, three topless women leap down from the nearby wall and disarm the armed men with swift martial arts moves.
Admittedly, this scene is cool but offset with silliness. This series is no stranger to nudity, but three large-breasted, topless women leaping into the middle of a standoff to do battle comes off as a bit eye-rolling. Sure, the plot gets readers from A to B by breaking up the meeting, but it’s hard to take the scene too seriously.
When it appears the good guys won, more armed men show up, shoot the old woman, and take the half-naked ladies prisoner, culminating in a new standoff. This time, Krueger holds all the cards. However, Yamato makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure Krueger doesn’t get what he wants.
The issue concludes with an explanation of Joanna Tan’s absence, a miscount, an explosion that’s only the beginning of the chaos, and a peek into Krueger’s long game.
The issue ends quickly, but you get a lot of information surrounding Morse’s plans before she was killed and a general sense of how Krueger has been meticulously implementing Morse’s plans for years with an eye towards an endgame in 2024 that will put all blame on Joanna Tan.
Overall, this is a fast-paced, action-packed issue that goes a long way toward linking past arcs into a much bigger plot that you didn’t know was in motion, which gives this story added weight and importance. The details of the plan are still too vague to wrap your arms around the stakes and consequences, but it at least feels big.
Artwork and Presentation:
Ang Hor Kheng deserves all the praise and kudos you can muster for a comic that’s gritty, atmospheric, hard-hitting, and even cinematic. Yes, we’ve dinged the silly turn in the story by having three topless women jump into the fight, but all props go to Kheng for making a silly fight look believable with cool moves and fluid choreography.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Gun Honey: Collision Course #3 establishes the strongest ties to the previous arcs by letting readers in on the idea that the late Lydia Morse had a plan in motion the entire time, which makes the plot here feel more expansive and part of a larger whole. In short, Ardai gives you the impression he’s been planning this outcome for years.
Final Thoughts:
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GUN HONEY: COLLISION COURSE #3 delivers tension-filled standoffs, surprise developments, explosive outcomes, and titillating art. Charles Ardai’s plot ties this series into a much larger plan that gives the arc greater importance, and Ang Hor Kheng’s outstanding art makes even the silly bits of the story feel important.
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