Lady Killer 2 #3 Review — Birds of a Feather
Something has been rotten in the state of Denmark since Lady Killer 2 began its run a few months ago. Josie is happy in her new partnership with the enigmatic Irving, but her mother-in-law’s strong reaction to Irving, and his eagerness to help her have given us pause. Lady Killer 2 3 finally reveals Irving’s past, and it’s every bit as gruesome as we all (probably) expected.
As the issue starts, Josie is clearly hitting her own groove. She’s not thrilled about her clientele, but everything is running smooth and on target. Later, Iriving appears in the Schuller home, only for Mother Schuller to attack him. Irving claims to not understand why she attacked him, but clearly, the two have a past. Mother Schuller finally reveals that, during WWII, she was sent to investigate Irving as part of an illegal escape network, only to discover he was, in fact, murdering the people they thought he was helping escape.
It’s an interesting turn that Mother Schuller presents this story to Josie as though it’s suppose to horrify or repulse the contract killer. Far more interesting that Mother Schuller is revealed to be an ex-mid-level-Nazi. It appears that within the Schuller’s idyllic suburban home, three people of like tendencies have congregated.
The older Mrs. Schuller appears to have been a pencil-pusher for the Nazi regime, but that would have made her privy to the goings-on, and she does not seem to express remorse for her hand in such events. That implies a certain morality within her, that may explain her ability to keep Josie’s secret, but on the other hand, her past with Irving definitely makes her more likely to reveal Josie for what she is.
Irving himself is revealed to be a true murderer, luring helpless people to his lair in order to kill them. He didn’t have a reason to do so, other than he appeared to enjoy it. This does explain why he’s so good at disposing of Josie’s bodies; even though he’s unable to keep up with the murder-for-hire business, he’s still able to dismember. Which is an unsettling thought, for Josie, I’m sure.
On the other hand, we have the sociopathic Josie, who, in the initial panels of the comic, expresses great joy at her current situation. Irving handles the clean up and she is free to kill to heart’s content, or as long as contracts (and, ergo, money) continue to pour in. On one hand, she might be able to justify that she’s murdering people for money, as opposed to enjoyment, but she clearly does enjoy killing.
As Josie speaks with the organization that previously attempted to hire her, it’s clear that even amongst killers, there is a code. Those murdering for money seem to think they are somehow above a man who does it for the joy. Both Josie and Hawley express distaste over Irving’s past, but it feels akin to the metaphorical pot and the kettle.
The biggest concern, within this issue, should be Mother Schuller’s revelation that he was merely hiding the bodies of his escapees in his basement, in various states of disposal. She clearly states that some where half-burned, some half-buried. Remember that Irving’s claim to fame was that he was very good at disposing of bodies. It is entirely possible that Irving has a graveyard of Josie’s misdeeds somewhere. I have little doubt this will eventually come back to haunt her, especially as she tries to cut ties with him.
For the first couple of issues, I was curious where Lady Killer 2 was taking us, but Lady Killer 2 #3 seems to hint that Josie may have some serious soul-searching to do. It’s easy to look down on Irving as a distasteful murderer, but what, then, does that make Josie?
Author: Joëlle Jones
Artist: Joëlle Jones
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Publish date: 11/12/2016
Acquired via Publisher
