Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Painkiller Jane The Price Of Freedom #1Panekiller Jane: The Price of Freedom #1 of 4
Icon Comics (Marvel)
Palmiotti, Santacruz, Lotfi & Mounts

Panekiller Jane makes her comic book return with a solid effort and a bit of a character revamp. Gone are the mummy-like bandages and in its place is more of a rogue cop, tough girl kind of story that shies away from the over-active healing factor. Overall, the comic was entertaining and provided a lot for the entry price of four bucks. This is a promising start.

The comic book contains a twenty page main story and a ten page backup and two small write-ups about the character's history. The book is a meaty read and it does everything possible to make the new reader feel right at home.

The opening story, The Price of Freedom, is a fast-paced story that introduces Jane and gives a glimpse into her relationship with Maureen. Jane is a former cop operating outside the lines while Maureen is an active one that happens to be Jane's former partner. The plot centers around a princess in need of protection.

The idea behind the story is straightforward enough: a wealthy woman is the target of some mysterious assassins. The comic book basically establishes that no one can be trusted and that Jane's instincts are going to be the one thing that helps to keep the princess alive.

The backup story seems more of a relationship origin story between Jane and Maureen. It's good to get this extra character piece in the comic book and the exposition is dense enough to fill in the background of the two characters.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsArtistically the book is very good. The main story has a lot of action and a lot Jane strutting her stuff. It lines up well with the character portrayal that is being established here. The backup story provides art that is simply fun. The character depictions provide excellent facial expressions where you can really understand the characters and their deep feelings for each while still catching their playful nature with one another.

Panekiller Jane seems straightforward enough. Tough women that play outside the rules and have a bit of a bad attitude, but that's perfectly fine when the execution is done well. This comic lays down the basics for what looks to be a promising series of action, adventure and good entertainment all the way around. I recommend checking this out.

3.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles