JENNIFER BLOOD (VOL. 2) #3, available from Dynamite Comics on December 1st, 2021, moves the conflict to an abandoned military base where Bountiful residents play a human hunting game for bragging rights.
The Details
- Written By: Fred Van Lente
- Art By: Vincenzo Federici
- Colors By: Dearbhla Kelly
- Letters By: Simon Bowland
- Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: December 1, 2021
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Was It Good?
I was reminded recently the Punisher is not a hero. This is, of course, a true statement, but we attach to the Punisher because he breaks the law to save (or avenge) the innocent. There’s a higher purpose to the Punisher’s misdeeds that we can relate to, but we accept his misdeeds because the Punisher pays for them with the tortuous weight of guilt he is forced to endure.
Jennifer Blood is the same as the Punisher but different in a very fundamental way. She accepts her role as lethal avenger gladly. Jennifer Blood is not a hero. She is however, the best killer in the world. She knows it, and she enjoys it. Jennifer Blood may be a villain, but she’s a villain on our side and it’s a heck of a lot of fun to watch her go to work.
Continuing her covert destruction of Bountiful, Jennifer Blood follows the mayor and his gang of cronies to an abandoned military base where they offload a group of illegal immigrants for a hunting game where nobody gets out alive. It’s a despicable display of human depravity, which consequently tickles your schaden freude bone when Jennifer turns the tables on Bountiful’s gang of criminals.
With every issue, Van Lente finds fresh ways for Bountiful’s deserving residents to be killed by Jennifer or each other. As the series progresses, the story is less about following an actual narrative and more about finding out how creatively Jennifer can kill somebody. There’s nothing redeeming or thought-provoking about this comic. It’s simply tries to entertain you by speaking to your primal urge for revenge, and on that level, it’s a success.
Federici’s art pulls no punches in this issue as it’s the bloodiest and goriest yet so far in this series. Bullets fly in all directions and you witness the brain splattering affect in bright detail. Federici’s art combined with Van Lente’s writing make this the grindiest of grindhouse comics Dynamite’s produced in a long while, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
To find out more about the residents of Bountiful and why Jennifer Blood is after them, read our JENNIFER BLOOD (VOL. 2) #2 review first.
We begin with a U-Haul pulling up to the gates of an abandoned military base on the outskirts of Bountiful. The mayor has a hunt planned out as a competition between East Coast criminals and West Coast criminals for a prize of bragging rights, booze, steaks, and other sordid pleasures. The game in this hunt are a U-Haul full of illegal immigrants brought across the Mexico border.
Before the hunt begins, the handler who brought Bountiful’s prey explains they have a chance at freedom if they can find a hidden trunk containing cash and keys to a nearby jeep. It’s a little incentive to keep them moving, he explains.
No sooner does the hunt get underway when Jennifer chooses to use the opportunity to pick off some prey of her own. Sheriff Romeo decided to accompany the hunting party, knowing Jennifer would use the opportunity to take out more residents of Bountiful. As soon as bountiful criminals start showing up dead, the game shifts to assassin-against-assassin. We conclude the issue with East Coast and West Coast turning against each other, a lucky shot, and an unwelcome act of mercy.
Final Thoughts
JENNIFER BLOOD (VOL. 2) #3 embraces it’s full grindhouse potential to revel in violence and destruction. There’s a primal satisfaction in seeing bad people get their comeuppance and Van Lente turns that satisfaction dial up to 11. The story is dripping with schaden freude and the art is unapologetically brutal. This is a perfect comic for grindhouse fans.
Score: 9.5/10
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