PLAINER JANE #5, from Broken Face Comics on Kickstarter, ends the fund and games for Jane as her identity is uncovered by a desperate man and the odds of a potential gang war keep growing.
The Details
- Written By: David Wilburn
- Art By: Samir Simào
- Colors By: Ralf Singh
- Letters By: Tim West
- Cover Art By: Ralf Singh
- Cover Price: $12.31 (digital 2-pack containing #4 & #5)
- Release Date: February 2022
Was It Good?
PLAINER JANE #5 is where the series finally hits its stride as a crime thriller. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a machete, and the stakes are practically skyrocketing. Whatever your feelings about the series so far, issue #5 is a banger.
There are multiple highlights in this issue, too many to list, so we’ll cover why we think so highly of this issue. Gone are the mundane and too-long chitchats with friends and family to emphasize Jane’s unremarkable public life. Wilburn tosses readers straight into the middle of the drama as her repeat customer, DS Lewey, contracts Jane to assassinate every gangster involved in his wife’s shooting.
The gangsters are on edge as their paranoia over the killings escalates. DS Lewey’s on edge as he’s forced to search for the killer to keep up appearances even though he’s the killer’s client, and Jane puts the readers on edge as she keeps moving ahead in her contract killer career without the slightest realization that trouble is about to fall on her head like a ton of bricks. The drama trains are headed on a collision course, and you can’t help but watch the catastrophe about to happen.
This is the second issue with Simào on pencils/inks, and the artwork is excellent in this issue. There are more action scenes in this issue than in any of the previous issues, and Simào shows a knack for brutal, close-combat fighting. The mild down point is the lack of detail and clarity in some panels where you see the action from far away, but those panels are few and far between.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Catch up on how Jane got her first repeat customer with our PLAINER JANE #4 review.
We begin with DS Lewey reviewing camera footage from the latest murder. He spots a young girl moving through the shadows and instantly recognizes Jane from the hospital. His boss calls him into a meeting to check the progress of the investigation, but he conceals his discovery.
Later, Tougard pays Crowley a visit after the gang council vote to ask for his support. Crowley is neither polite nor accommodating, but Tougard repays Crowley’s rudeness with a painful lesson about not recognizing true power. When Tougard leaves Crowley, bloody and broken, he lets Crowley’s men know they have a place to go when they’re ready for better employment.
Later, DS Lewey sits by his wife’s bedside when Jane enters the room at the start of her rounds. Privately, Lewey asks Jane for a favor she can’t agree to, and before she leaves the room, they both acknowledge they know each other’s secret.
We conclude the issue with a debate about humor, an empty gun, and a confession.
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Final Thoughts
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PLAINER JANE #5 is a brilliant crime thriller and the strongest issue in the series so far. The plotting and pacing are much tighter, the tension in every aspect is higher, and the extra action is brutal.
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