PLAINER JANE #6, from Broken Face Comics on Kickstarter, presents the penultimate chapter when Sgt. Lewey’s involvement in the gang killings is discovered, leading Jane directly into a trap.
The Details
- Written by: David Wilburn
- Art by: Samir Simào
- Colors by: Ralf Singh
- Letters by: Tim West
- Cover art by: Ralf Singh, Donna A. Black
- Cover price: $5.79 (for pdf)
- Release date: July 2022 (estimated)
Is It Good?
Impressive! Planer Jane #6 is an impressive penultimate issue. Up to this point, David Wilburn has steadily built an air of tension as Jane’s secret life as an assassin starts to bear unwanted consequences. Now, those consequences hit Jane like a freight train, establishing a massive question every penultimate issue should ask – What’s going to happen next?!
Wilburn’s script nails the feeling of momentum as a situation spirals out of control. We learn of the Nexus group’s tension over losing several key members to an unknown force. Sgt. Lewey’s nihilism is heightened by the loss of his wife and his expectation that his secret mission will soon be exposed. Through it all, Jane has no idea the world of trouble about to land on her feet. Every aspect of stability and safety deteriorates with increasing speed, and you can’t help but want to warn Jane to stop and get away. This issue is a strong example of escalating tension.
Second to Wilburn’s phenomenal script is the gritty and grounded action from Simào. For this story to work, you have to believe a diminutive teenage girl can silently kill a man, and Simào makes you believe it with excellent fight choreography. Jane uses the environment and her opponent’s size to her advantage, and short of using a gun, Simào’s art establishes Jane as a formidable killer in close quarters.
However, the issue’s one weakness is the art. There’s a distinct difference in art quality during the opening scene with the Nexus group, the establishing shots before Sgt. Lewey’s interrogation, and the rest of the book. It appears a backup artist was brought in, and the difference in styles is unevenly jarring. If you hurry past those sections, the art doesn’t take away from the story, but the mismatched styles are hard to miss.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our PLAINER JANE #5 review to find out how Jane and Sgt. Lewey connected.
We begin with members of the Nexus group bickering over the deaths of several members. Tougard is confident he has a lead and asks the other members to give him a week to get it all sorted.
Elsewhere, the police cover the round of killings and strategize what to do next. Privately, the Captain expresses condolences to Sgt. Lewey over the death of his wife. However, the Captain candidly asks if Lewey had a hand in her death as an act of mercy. They part knowing Lewey will need to take responsibility for what happened.
Later, Tougard finds Lewey in a pub. Tougard makes it clear he knows Lewey is involved in the deaths, and he needs to cooperate or risk the lives of his adult children. We conclude the issue with an interrogation, a text, and a rendezvous on a rainy night.
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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PLAINER JANE #6 is an outstanding example of how a penultimate issue should be written. The feeling of events spiraling out of control is unmistakable, and Jane’s prowess in a hand-to-hand fight is inspired. The one flaw in this issue is an occasional shift in art quality, but the uneven art is more than made up for with a killer story.
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