ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Pretty Violent,’ Issue #1

Pretty Violent #1 is published by Image Comics, written by Jason Young (I Hate Fairyland) with Derek Hunter, illustrated by Derek Hunter, and colored by Spencer Holt. The story follows Gamma Rae, who has wanted to be a superhero ever since she could remember. However, she’s having a hard time adjusting to her newfound life as a hero. She intervenes in a fight between Hulktress and some stranger. Believing that Hulktress is the villain, Gamma Rae attacks her, which leads to some unfortunate consequences.  Gamma Rae faces a rather unique fight that will test her patience and who she hopes to be to the test.

The premise of the comic series seems simple, but Young’s writing adds a much more unique approach. Gamma Rae is someone who has wanted to be a hero for what seems like a long time. A lot of obstacles in this comic, which will no doubt continue to appear in future issues, get in her way of her achieving this goal. One of the main obstacles is her recklessness whenever she jumps into battle. This recklessness comes as a factor which shows that she really does care about being a hero but may not have adequate experience. Inexperience, or even over-excitement of becoming a hero, isn’t something that’s easily dealt with. If the writing was as incredible as it was in this issue, I’m hoping that future issues show Gamma Rae finding ways to get over this obstacle.

Additionally, Hunter’s artwork gives the characters their own unique flair. Heroes and villains normally have a specific look, but Young’s artwork goes beyond those looks. Although Gamma Rae has a much more traditional costume, Hulktress and the stranger she’s battling don’t fit the traditional looks of heroes and villains. It provides a motive for Gamma Rae to have misinterpreted the situation. It also creates one of the many comedic moments that I’m hoping will continue to appear throughout the rest of the series. As an added bonus, the artwork gives off the impression that this would make an incredible television show.

I’m a firm believer in that all forms of media do not need to censor themselves in order to attract people’s attention. This comic surely doesn’t hold back on the gore and the swear words that it uses. The gore is quite a unique approach to take, as it distinguishes itself from both the superhero genre and the cartoon-like artwork. However, it seems as if the use of swear words at times seems a bit unnecessary. There are times where the swear words come off as an excuse to just use them for the sake of using them and not for the story. At times, the swear words provided comedic moments, but that shouldn’t be a reason for them to be included.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this comic. It’s something new in the superhero genre that is shaping up to tackle themes like personal and family identity.  Hunter’s artwork makes the characters unique and provided an interesting perspective on what heroes and villains look like. Young’s writer carries the comic forward with its reckless but ambitious central character. I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the series goes, especially with the big reveal at the end of this issue. This is definitely a comic series that I will be following and I highly recommend it.

Pretty Violent #1 is available in comic book stores everywhere.