REVIEW: ‘Gunning for Ramirez,’ Volume 1

Gunning for Ramirez Volume 1 is published by Image Comics, with writing and art by Nicolas Patrimaux. Jaques Ramirez is a simple vacuum cleaner repairman. He does his job well and is a laid back, easy-going individual. But what if this vacuum cleaner repairman is something more? When two cartel members up from Mexico spot him, they sure seem convinced he is a legendary hitman that betrayed their Cartel. Now, they are looking for revenge. But when a pair of outlaw ladies on a crime spree get caught up in the chase, the story becomes equal parts action and farce.

At its core, Gunning for Ramirez Volume 1 does something extremely tricky. It presents a problem with one of two solutions. The title character Ramirez is exactly who he seems to be, a simple vacuum salesman or he is who his pursuers believe him to be, a cold-blooded killer. What makes the job performed by creator Patrimaux impressive is how well he keeps the reader guessing at the answer. Every near-miss and harrowing escape is handled with such a light touch that it could genuinely be either one. This is easily the best-handled aspect of Gunning for Ramirez Volume 1. The rest of the story is a bit less intriguing.

The rest of the cast is primarily comprised of Ramirez’s perfectly normal co-workers and the gaggle of Mexican cartel gunmen out to get him. Both of these groups behave pretty much as one would expect.

On the work side, Ramirez is surrounded by quiet, mostly nice guys. With the exception of his verbally abusive boss whose goal seems to be running his best employee into the ground. While these characters are handled well enough, there aren’t really any surprises to be had here. These characters still do better than the other most prominent group in our story: the cartel gang.

if you have seen a crime story with a Cartel playing the part of the villains you already know exactly what you are getting here. Short-tempered, quick to violence, and not permitting even the remotest possible questioning of themselves or their strength, these guys are every cartel gang ever seen in media. Whether or not they just hit the cliches hard or cross the line into racist stereotypes, I don’t have the knowledge to say. But if you are tired of seeing Mexicans whose only part in the story is as criminals, you definitely want to look elsewhere.

The last story element in Gunning for Ramirez Volume 1 comes in the form of the outlaw duo of Dakota and Chelsea. This duo provides an interesting twist, a wild card that interacts with the story in some fairly random ways. Their freewheeling attitudes provide fun breaks from the overly macho villains. They are that high energy pair people tend to want to root for, even if they are in fact villains. My only complaint where these two are concerned comes at the very end of Gunning for Ramirez Volume 1 when the two of them star in what feels like an extremely tacked on love scene. It’s almost as if Patrimaux realized he had two beautiful women in his story that hadn’t been in a sex scene so just wedged it in at the end.

While Gunning for Ramirez Volume 1’s story is a mixed bag, the art is wonderfully executed. A perfect blend of gritty crime and comical design, the art balances what could’ve been extremely contradictive energies into one cohesive whole.

When all is said and done, Gunning for Ramirez Volume 1 delivers a story speckled with memorable moments that are mostly occupied by forgettable characters. The art does some work to add extra enjoyment to the presentation but in the end, it can’t do enough to lift it out of mediocrity.

Gunning for Ramirez Volume 1 is available September 9th wherever comics are sold.